Sly Cooper: Sly as a Fox
by Deags
Summary: A mysterious figure only known as "A.C" has just looted the most famous piece of art known in the anthropomorphic world, the Mona Lisa. Not only that, the thief has also bested some of Interpol's greatest agents, and for the trifecta; aims to beat the Cooper Gang at their own game.
1. Chapter 1: As Sly as a Fox

**A/N & Disclaimer**: I do not own the rights to any of the characters that are affiliated with _Sucker Punch Productions (2002-05)_, _Nihilistic Software (2011)_, and/or _Sanzaru Games (2012-Present)_. I do however, own their products and highly recommend to those who don't, to please support the creators of the franchise. The portrayal of their characters in this fan fiction is just that, of fiction; they do not in any way reflect the "actual-true fictional storyline" created by the *stated above* developers of the Sly Cooper franchise.

Now that I have gotten the formalities out of the way, I hope to all those who are reading, enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing it. This will be my first submission to this website so feel free to leave any and all comments, reviews, suggestions, and questions. Thank you.

**Chapter One:** _As Sly as a fox_

The Louvre Museum is one of the world's largest museums, is said to be the most visited art museum in the world, and is itself a historic monument. The museum houses over twenty thousand pieces of art from around the globe, and is the home of some of the most unique and valuable works that have earned them the term of "masterpieces."

_Liberating one or two would go unnoticed, right?_

**Musée du Louvre****, Paris, France – 3:32am**

The would-be thief traded speed for stealth. After lock picking and getting in through the ceiling window; eased down to the ground below. The silent figure crept down the adjacent corridor and made a right into the classical wing. It was raining cats and dogs outside, other than the occasional flash of lightning and thunderous boom that followed shortly after, inside the museum was dark and silent. It was like that of the Edgar Allan Crow poem: _once upon a midnight dreary… _

As the thief continued to fantasize what other similarities this evening had with the dead laureate's poem, that thought was interrupted with the sudden sound of shuffling and the faint metallic clink of keys.

Back to the wall, enveloped in darkness, and watched as a cone of light, followed by a security detail passed the thief's position. The guard waded into the wing, briefly glancing left, then to the right. It wasn't until another flash of lightning lit up the darken gallery did the sheer size of the guard became so predominant; he was a massive.

The cloaked figure took a glance at the passage the guard came through. It was a long straight corridor, and down at the end of said corridor was the goal.

Seconds felt like hours as the thief patiently waited for the Brobdingnagian creature to move along but it felt content to stay in that room, to plant itself in the middle just a few paces away. _What are my choices here? Sneak by and risk getting caught? Or continue to conceal myself and hope he doesn't turn around?_ Both of which didn't sit well.

Finally settling on a course of action, the thief decided to take a more aggressive approach. Even if the gargantuan were to decide to mosey along, not knowing if he will come back is an issue; especially if he does in fact return catching the thief red-handed with the painting in hand. A law breaker's worst enemy is Murphy's Law after all.

The guard was now fiddling with his flashlight as it had suddenly gone out. This, the thief took as a blessing and started to move out of the shadows. Trading stealth for speed, knowing that there might be only an instant before the guard checked behind him, and in fact as the thief reached him, he was just beginning to turn. But too late.

Something from the shadows leaped into him, planting its left foot in the small of his back as though trying to climb a steep set of stairs. His body bowed violently forward and his head and arms flew back, and a startled grunt, loud enough for anyone nearby to hear, forced itself from his lungs. As he plunged to his knees, the shadowy figure wrapped an arm… _no something hooked and metallic?_ around his neck and wrenched backwards. In this position the guard began to fear for his life; he couldn't resist even if he wanted to, he feared that any more pressure and his neck would snap like kindling.

His vision began to blur. Just moments ago his eyes were filled with fear and his head full of questions, now glazed over and refused to cooperate. It wasn't much longer before the world blacked out, only to hear "_bonne nuit"_ before the world went deafly quiet.

The thief eased the guard to the ground. Checked for a pulse, and was glad to find one. Stealing valuable works of art was one thing, but taking something that was priceless? For example: someone's life? That's way out of this thief's personal repertoire.

Once again, back up against the wall. The thief listened for any signs of movement in response to the commotion that just happened moments ago. After giving a mental green light, the thief snuck down the corridor and stopped at the entrance of the room at the end. It only took but a brief glance around the room to find what the thief was looking for.

There it was, hanging on the posterior wall in all of its glory; the best known, the most visited, the most written about, the most sung about, the most parodied work of art in the world; _La Madonna Gioconda, _or more famously known to the western world; the _Mona Lisa._

The thief did a quick scan of the surrounding area and noticed a low hum being emitted from the room. Taking an aerosol can out of the knapsack, and lightly shooting small puffs of it straight up, overhead. Leaving gravity to do its work, the cloud settled to the ground, and faint red lines appeared.

It would appear that this room in particular had additional security measures installed, not surprising seeing as how someone simply waltz out with the priceless work of art those many years ago. _Just like how it'll happen again tonight._

The thief started breathing more deeply, and slowly concentrating on the task at hand. With steeled will, the low droning hum was blocked out, and in its place, the room itself seemed to call out to the thief. The walls cried out "_Scale me!" _The rafters above, as if instructing the thief "_Run along me!"_ Even the narrowest of points on the chandelier that hung from the ceiling spoke out "_Jump and perch on me!"_

Small flashing lights lit up all across the room, "indicators" the thief now called them, areas where the thief could use some honed technique to progress through, treat the area like a stage to be conquered and to be rewarded upon reaching the goal.

And the thief did just that.

Acrobatics that one would normally see from some rehearsed circus act. Feats of strength as the thief climbed the vertical walls with ease. Tests of agility and dexterity as the thief scaled and made gravity defying jumps and landing with pinpoint precision on areas too tiny to be able to hold an anthropomorphic animal. If anyone were to see this, they would be struck dumbfounded with the absurdity of it all. Yet, it has been done, and as quickly as it was started, the thief landed back at the entrance soundlessly and with a satisfied smirk appearing, nonchalantly waltzed back down the corridor.

The thief returned to the "entrance" and fastened the painting to the wire. Gave it a slight tug to check if it was secure and gave a nod of approval. The thief couldn't help but smirk again. All in all, tonight was an all-round success.

That is, if you take away the part where the thief had to go toe to toe with a five-hundred pound gorilla.

Speaking of which, why _was_ there a five-hundred pound gorilla working security detail? Gorillas were usually selected for higher profile security gigs, like protecting the president of the United States or working at inter… _oh crap._

There was the sound of a weapon charging that resonated from behind.

"Slowly turn around and Step away from the painting."

The thief did as instructed and turned to face the voice, to no surprise the voice belonged to the world renowned inspector of Interpol; Carmelita Montoya Fox.

"I won't say it again, Step. Away. From. The painting, ringtail." The voice repeated in a more serious and staunched manner which accentuated her Latin accent.

"Don't you mean to say; _s'éloigner de la peinture? _After all, we _are_ in Parisafter all… _chica._"

From her body language it was obvious the inspector was shocked. She had been obviously expecting someone else, but in return a female voice answered back. She stopped moving forward and now stood in place, head slightly tilted, ears perked forward as if to say: _Did I just hear that correctly?_

"However, I don't know how to say 'ringtail' in French." The thief goaded, enjoying every minute of this.

Snapping back into reality after being mocked, the same determined expression returned to Carmelita's face. Now standing in the traditional Weaver stance, shock pistol leveled and pointed at the perpetrator's chest.

"You're not Cooper, who are you? Step forward into the light where I can see you, no sudden movements and place your hands atop your head."

The perp humored her and placed her hands up on the back of her head, but did not move.

"Such a demanding woman… whatever does Sly see in you? And to think that his ideal woman was someone as controlling as you, I didn't know he was such a Masoch…"

Carmelita interrupted with a shot that was now represented by the singed hole not more than a few inches away from perp.

"You're under arrest for the attempted theft of a priceless work of art, and the assault of an Interpol agent. I swear to you, if Lieutenant Gronk is…"

Now it was Carmelita's turn to be interrupted.

"Oh, so that lummox did belong to you. Not to worry though, all I did was knocked him out."

"And it goes by the name of Gronk? Appropriate I suppose... and you're telling me it's a lieutenant? Well I must say, if that's the best you got then it's no surprise the Cooper gang keeps slipping from your grasps." The thief scoffed.

"You speak as if you're familiar. What's your association with them?"

"Oh, Sly and I have a… _history_ together. Nothing I can divulge of course, a man and a woman's past together should be best kept secret. Wouldn't you agree?"

The thief could see the inspector's fur standing on ends, her ears perked upwards ruffling her otherwise well groomed blue hair, her nose flared, and a low growl began to escape her lips. However, even though her façade failed to maintain its composure, she showed a lot of willpower to keep her emotions under control, and it was keeping her temper in check. The thief was impressed.

But enough fun and mind games, she _was_ pressed for time after all.

"Should I tell him you said '_Hola?_' Or maybe call him by the pet name you gave him, 'ringtail' perhaps?

The low growl grew louder as the thief continued to speak, which amused the thief immensely.

Oh, I know! Maybe the classic simple shock pistol blast will be sufficient? It's been, I _guess_ you can say a long time since we last saw one another, too long if I could be perfectly honest."

"You say that as if you're getting out of this." Snarled Carmelita.

"Oh, but I am." The thief smirked.

Suddenly the thief made a grab at the wire and pressed the "retract" button on her harness. Carmelita didn't hesitate; she barked her repeated orders of "cease and desist" and then opened fire. However, in the split second timeframe it took for the Shock pistol to register the trigger being pulled, to charge up a shock pulse, to being fired was long enough for the thief to throw something in the line of fire. _What was that coming towards her? Is that… a can?_

Carmelita instinctively dove for cover.

The explosion that ensued reverberated throughout the ground level of the Louvre, lighting up the interior with a ball of fire.

Thankfully the explosion didn't amount to much. Whatever was inside that can, was flammable but had low combustibility, _probably aerosol?_

Carmelita looked around and assessed that in the aftermath, the damage done by the explosion was minimal. She cursed under her breath and hit the communication device on her shoulder.

"This is Inspector Montoya Fox…" Carmelita spoke into the walkie talkie.

A slight fluttering sound came from above; she looked up and saw a black card falling. She reached up and snatched it out of the air; on it, was a profile silhouette of a fox with two silver letters engraved on the top: _A.C_

"This is Winthorp, what can I do for you Carmelita?"

"Get me inspector Barkley." Carmelita released the contact button and sighed. She slipped the calling card into her jacket pocket.

"He's not going to be happy about this…" and went to check on her lieutenant.

**A/N: **Well hopefully you enjoyed the first chapter. This took about an hour or so to write, another hour or so to review and revise… but one can only do so much to correct his own grammar. Again I would like point out that this is my first post on an online forum, so any and all comments, reviews, suggestions, and questions are highly appreciated. I thank you all in advance and hope you'll look forward to the next chapter. – J.L


	2. Chapter 2: Capturing the Antikythera

**A/N & Disclaimer: **I do not own the rights to any of the characters that are affiliated with _Sucker Punch Productions (2002-05)_, _Nihilistic Software (2011)_, and/or _Sanzaru Games (2012-Present)_. I do however, own their products and highly recommend to those who don't, to please support the creators of the franchise. The portrayal of their characters in this fan fiction is just that, of fiction; they do not in any way reflect the "actual-true fictional storyline" created by the *stated above* developers of the Sly Cooper franchise.

**A minor side note that I wanted to address**: A friend of mine (who was reading the chapter on my PC) decided that he would leave a positive comment of the story via a "review." I don't know why, but I just felt a need to clarify to the readers, that I didn't give _myself_ the positive review. I wanted to put this out there so that reader's judgment of the story isn't based on a certain way thinking that I, as an author, am vain and/or crazy thumbs up-ing my own work in third person lol.

Okay, now with that out of the way, I hope you enjoy the second chapter.

**Chapter Two:** _Capturing the Antikythera Mechanism_

The Antikythera mechanism dated back as early as the first century BC. The mysterious thing about it was; similar technological artifacts of similar complexity and workmanship did not reappear until the fourteenth century. It was originally designed to calculate astronomical positions. Basically it was an ancient computer; which to nobody's surprise was the main reason to why Bentley wanted it.

For what purpose? For that you're going to have to ask the techie lovebirds.

"I'll say this one more time Sly, this device is just extraordinary!" cried Bentley, the deuteragonist of the Cooper gang.

"It's the only one of its kind. The design is efficient and beautiful, and most importantly the astronomy is exactly right. The way the mechanics are designed just make your jaw drop. Whoever has done this has done it extremely carefully."

"I get that it's one of a kind bud, but what I'm failing to understand is not the scarcity of it or its functions; it's the reason why you need it." Sly clarified.

Bentley wheeled himself over to the Raccoon who was reclined on the couch. Pulled alongside and popped up his monitor screen.

"It's an important piece to complete the time machine that Penelope and I are developing and equipping to the Cooper van."

Sly propped up his cap to reveal his hazel brown eyes. As he did so, he glanced over at the screen only to see various diagrams, flashing lights and indicators, along with numbers collected together in what he assumed were some mathematical formula relating to the situation at hand. Needless to say, it all went over his gray fur colored head.

"Yeah, about that… mind running that by me again? How exactly did you two _build_ a time machine?

"Well, all we had to do was to look at time at the fourth dimension."

Sly gave his childhood friend a sideward glance which resulted in a sigh and made him rethink his explanation.

"Everyone…" the reptilian protégé started only to pause as to solidify a Sly-esque answer. "Everyone knows that all physical objects, even me in this chair, exist as you know it, in three dimensions. It's measured in length, width, and height. But there is another kind of length, a length in time.

Bentley stopped speaking to see if his furry companion had any questions. When there wasn't any, Bentley continued.

"Nothing is flat or solid. If you look closely enough at anything you'll find holes and wrinkles in it, it's a basic physical principle, and it even applies to time; hence the term '_a wrinkle in time.'_ There are tiny crevices, wrinkles, and voids in time. In these voids are where 'wormholes' are found!" The turtle started becoming excited.

"Unfortunately these wormholes are a googol centimeters across, meaning no living creature can fit and go through it." Bentley said whilst shaking his head in disappointment.

Sly watched as his childhood friend became a roller-coaster of emotions as one moment he was excited and happy describing his hypotheses, experimentations, and conclusions; to the next where he would be upset and downtrodden from a failure or some nagging law of physics.

"So basically, you and Penelope have somehow managed to capture one of these microscopic wormholes and managed to enlarge it a trillion fold? One big enough for the Cooper Van to go through?" Sly asked with legitimate surprise.

"Exactly!" Nodded the turtle.

"But you said that it would take at least as much power as the Large Hadron Collider puts out to sustain a wormhole of that size." Sly peered out of the safe house window.

"It's certainly roomy, but I don't think you're going to be able to fit seventeen miles worth of superconducting electromagnets in there, even with Murray sitting up front." Sly joked as he made a gesture towards the van.

A smile dawned on Bentley's face.

"We did." A voice answered.

Sly glanced over at the direction in which it came from, and standing in the doorway wearing her usual attire of a yellow shirt underneath mechanic's overalls, work boots, a red bandana which she used to tie back her blonde hair which streams down her back, her matching pair of glasses that she got with Bentley, and as always, with another one of her remote control devices in her hands; was Penelope.

Never before to Sly's recollection had a simple _two word_ statement captured his absolute attention, well, besides the occasional "_Freeze, Cooper!"_ That he gets from a certain fiery Latina cop; but that's beside the point. In response to this; Sly sat up and looked at what Dimitri affectionately named "Benelope" after he saw on television somewhere about how the western world had a tendency of mashing up names of people who are in a relationship like they did with Brad Pittbull and Angelina Collie and searched the latter half of the combination for answers.

"It's actually quite simple actually." Stated the RC aerial operations expert. "Initially we were only able to open up a manipulated worm hole to the size of an atom and for only for a fraction of a nanosecond."

Penelope walked over to the lounging area and lightly kissed Bentley on the head, which to Sly's amusement, allowed him to make a mental note that he had never witness a red turtle before. Ever since they became and progressed as a couple, Sly and the gang discovered a new species of Terrapin; _The Blushing Turtle._

"Bentley and I racked our brains for ages on trying to figure out how to keep it open. We tried everything we could think of, and as you can see from the bags under our eyes, and from some, unfortunate events that occurred… we were at wit's end."

Sly knew what that last part of that statement alluded to. Dimitri with his usual annoying confident self, had tried to help in his own way, the pair to relax after a few all-nighters dedicated to the project. He casually stormed in and was quoted to have said: _"I'm not cold-blooded, I'm cool blooded! You need to be chill like me. You want time? I give you the greatest gift of all! The gift of the time! The gift of me, homes!"_ Right before a torrent of screams could be heard erupting from the workshop.

Penelope pulled up and sat in a chair beside Bentley, looked at him and gave a slight nod. Sly took it as a metaphoric "passing of the baton."

Right, as Penelope said, we were at Wit's end… that is until we had we had an epiphany! Well, when Murray had it at least."

Sly's left eyebrow rose. "Murray?"

"He overheard us and understood the general problem, that we couldn't sustain an open wormhole long enough for us to calibrate and generate more power to extend the time duration." Bentley rubbed his head recalling the memory.

"So he... um, hypothesized that we could just simply erect a barrier in which will be placed in the wormhole itself to permanently if not momentarily prevent the outer layers from collapsing inward." Bentley explained sheepishly.

There was a brief pause.

"He asked why you guys didn't 'plug the hole with something?'" Sly responded

"I liked the way I said it better."

"Simplicity at its best." Sly brought out his trademark smirk.

"Well it wasn't really an epiphany, more of a theory; well… actually it was more on the line of a random suggestion. But not to take anything away from the big guy; it allowed us to reach where we are today so we have to thank Murray."

"So what exactly did you guys 'plug the hole' with?"

The smile returned on Bentley's face, which must have been contagious seeing as how it was also plastered on Penelope's face.

"We plugged the wormhole, _with_ the wormhole."

"I'm afraid you lost me." Sly said scratching his head.

"It has to do with entropy, and states that an isolated system always either stays the same, or goes toward greater disorder – it can never become more orderly by itself, as the probability for this is less than the probability for disorder to occur. However, we formulated that there is a fundamentally inexhaustible supply of energy that is in constant flux; _existence_." Bentley explained.

"Meaning that we harnessed the endless perpetual energy of existence, as everything _is_ made up of energy to create a stabilized wormhole big enough from our universe to the other universe, essentially we made a tunnel." Penelope jumping in as they both spoke in tandem to one another.

"So what you're saying is…" Sly spoke while digesting what he'd just been bombarded with. "What you're saying is… you used reality, all of that which exist, to create a time-powered perpetual motion machine?"

"We kicked the laws of thermodynamics' butt!" giggled Penelope.

"That's…amazing." Was the only thing Sly could muster after. "I still don't know if I comprehend it completely but I at least know that much."

"That's why they call me 'the wizard;' but not to worry Sly, you don't have to understand it, all you have to do is trust me. My specialty is my brain, your specialty as a master thief is uniquely associated with you. Which is why, to the matter at hand, is the reason we need _you_ to steal us the mechanism."

"I do trust you Ben… I mean 'the wizard.' But you still haven't explained why this device is required. It sounds like to me you have everything already up and running."

"One thing that all time travel movies never address is the fact that the Earth _moves_. At a relatively fast rate, at about seventy thousand miles an hour and a full three-sixty rotation on a twenty four hour window. We need the Antikythera so that we can install it into our time machine and have it calculate with one-hundred percent accuracy the pinpoint location, date, and time that we arrive in."

"So basically what Bentley is trying saying Sly, is that without it. We'll be making a blind jump and might not even _be_ on Earth anymore when we appear on the other side of the tunnel. That is, unless you like space… then never minds." Added Penelope.

"Well then, looks like I'll be stealing an old mechanical horoscope predictor. Where is it located?"

"At the National Archaeological Museum in Athens."

"Well Bentley, it looks like we'll be having Greek for dinner. Pack whatever is needed; we've got a job to do."

**A/N: **I know that this was more "wordy" and technical than the previous chapter, but I felt a setup was needed opposed to just jumping into something without understanding the "Who, What, When, Where, and Whys" behind it. Again, this was written in about an hour and I didn't have much time to revise it, so I do apologize for any horrid incorrect spelling, grammar, and terminology usage beforehand. Well… actually "after-hand" at this point huh?

Once again, I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I did writing it. Please look forward to the next chapter of this fan fiction. As usual please feel free to leave any comments, suggestions, questions, and reviews as it will benefit me as a writer. I thank you all in advance. – J.L


	3. Chapter 3: Incognito

**A/N & Disclaimer: **I do not own the rights to any of the characters that are affiliated with _Sucker Punch Productions (2002-05)_, _Nihilistic Software (2011)_, and/or _Sanzaru Games (2012-Present)_. I do however, own their products and highly recommend to those who don't, to please support the creators of the franchise. The portrayal of their characters in this fan fiction is just that, of fiction; they do not in any way reflect the "actual-true fictional storyline" created by the *stated above* developers of the Sly Cooper franchise.

It's been about a week since I joined this website and here I am publishing the third chapter. I'm glad to see (from my stats page) that there are actually people reading this and hopefully enjoying it while doing so. (Although the number of reviews to readers ratio is about 33:1 *hint hint* write reviews people!)

As I have just started my summer courses, I will not be releasing chapters at the steady rate of once every 2-3 days (as of 06/05/2012) but will try to maintain at least a weekly update. Now with that said and done, here is chapter three. Enjoy.

**Chapter Three:** _Incognito_

The national Archaeological Museum of Athens is the largest archaeological museum in Greece and one of the most important museums in the world devoted to Ancient Greek Art. It was founded at the end of the nineteenth century to house and protect antiquities from all over Greece, thus displaying their historical, cultural, and artistic value. Its abundant collections, with more than eleven thousand exhibits, provide a panorama of Greek civilization from the beginnings of Prehistory to Late Antiquity. And in one of these exhibits, holds the key to perfecting time travel; the Antikythera Mechanism.

To those who have never been to Greece, there are two words to aptly describe it. Hot and dry. The summers here are very hot, often reaching over forty degrees Celsius through the months of July and August.

Sly and the gang landed in Athens the night before, and had planned on taking a tour of the Museum in the morning to scout out its interior. It just so happens that this week the museum is installing a new temporary exhibit dedicated to the Antikythera shipwreck that will display "the ship, the treasures, and the mechanism."

"Communications check: 'All the world's a stage.'"

"And all men and women merely players, check."

"They have their exits and entrances, check."

"And one man in…uhh, the darkness binds them? Umm… line? Check."

One could feel the frustration on Bentley's end as the eternal bard, known for his three-act structure; turned into a trilogy.

"Today is just a simple scouting mission Sly, don't draw attention to yourself; I know you're wearing a disguise but try not to let the cameras capture your face. They're using similar technology that major casinos use to detect and identify cheaters… but in this case, art thieves, sellers, and buyers."

"Roger." Sly spoke into the earpiece without moving his lips.

"Murray, we're going to need you to walk around and familiarize yourself with the surroundings at street level. Try and memorize the roads so that we can make a quick getaway when we are live tomorrow night. Sorry that we can't have you drive around pal, but I'd rather not risk anyone seeing our van until we have to."

"You can count on 'the Murray! Navigating through these streets will be difficult, but if anyone tries to stop me, the 'Thunder Flop' knows neither friend nor foe, only destruction!"

"Same thing to you Penelope, we're going to need some aerial photos of the area to figure out choke points and vantage points we can avoid and use to our advantage."

"You got it." The distinct sound of whirling and a small engine being powered up could be heard on her end.

"Okay, let's do this. It's on you Sly. The ball is on the move."

On cue, Sly walked up the steps that lead into the museum. He was a little nervous while passing through the security check, without his cane he felt naked. They opened up his bag and inspected the camera held inside. With no more than a quick glance as they rotated it three sixty degrees on both axis, they nodded signaling a green light and replaced the camera back inside.

"Thank you for being patient, please; enjoy your visit to the museum. If you have any questions feel free to ask one of our curators about the specific piece in question."

Sly nodded, responded with a polite "_merci_," and continued along his way. He casually strolled through the galleries in numeric order via tourist map of the museum grounds.

He was to play the role of a harmless-looking French tourist taking in the sights, sounds, and smells. Savoring the sense of loneliness and freedom that comes only from solitary sojourns in strange lands, where all the everyday things seem subtly wondrous, different, and new, where there's no one to please, disappoint or explain to. A traveler who finds himself suspended between the beguilement of the comforts he left behind, and the allure of an imaginary future he sense but knows he can never really have.

This in all honesty wasn't all that hard as he was surrounded with artifacts of old, unlocking a world of the past that had evolved into the modern societies we have today. This to him was his version of a kid in a candy store.

As Sly reached the prehistoric Aegean wing he stopped in front of a beautifully made fresco, a wall-painting that covered three walls of the same room. He looked at the information card and saw it was found in situ. _To be able to transfer an entire room… could have been useful when we had to get Jing King out from under General Tsao in the Kunlun Mountains for the Panda king._

Sly's reminiscing of past missions was interrupted by an alluring voice.

"Mí̱po̱s chreiázeste voí̱theia?" – can I help you?

Sly turned and was pleasantly surprised to see a beautiful young woman, a mix breed as far as he could tell. She had blonde hair tied up in a professional bun and wore the typical blue suit and skirt with a name tag pinned to her lapel with the Greek word which translated to "curator."

In response he asked: "Excusez-moi?" – pardon me?

"Mon dieu, mon Français n'est pas très bien." – Oh dear, my French isn't very good. She responded sheepishly.

"Parlez-vous Anglais?" – do you speak English? Sly inquired, pretending to try and find a tongue in which they both knew. He had two possible outcomes here in which he could use both to his advantage. One: she didn't know English and he could use the excuse of a language barrier to move along, or two: she did know English and can be used as further layers of disguise as he pretends to be a tourist in need of help.

"English?" It was the latter. "Yes I speak English." She responded with a smile, finally meeting on common ground.

"English it is then." He replied warmly. Although he'd never admit it, a part of him was hoping for this outcome, and he wasn't one-hundred percent certain, but he was sure she wanted it too.

"Now what was it you asked?"

"Oh, I just wanted to see if you needed help with anything. You were staring at this piece so intently."

"Oh no, I was just merely interested in the piece, miss…"

"Verda." she answered as she watched his eyes take another glance at her name tag. "It means…"

"Truth." Sly interrupted. "It's a beautiful name, it fits its owner."

This resulted in the young woman to flush.

"Y...you're…" she stammered trying to regain her composure "you're quite well versed in languages monsieur…?"

Sly saw no reason to lie, especially when he's confronted with "truth."

"Cooper." He responded with one of his trademark smirks.

"Well Mister Cooper. This piece here…" back to being a professional. "Was found in Situ. Similarly to the Minoans, the aim of the artist was to caption the essence of the landscape and to express joy in one's surroundings. In this piece represents the lyrical language of curving line celebrates the rhythm of spring."

Verda continued to escort Sly around the galleries and every now and then, similarly at the Fresco, like a true curator, stopped and briefly spoke about a piece that she personally found interesting, and the ones tourists usually gawk over. Of course Sly knew most if not all the information she was giving him, but not once did he interrupted her. He occasionally added his own information and inquiries to keep up appearances, but he was in fact, enjoying himself.

Verda was definitely a woman most men wished they could meet. She was smart, confident, and of course drop-dead gorgeous. Semi-mysterious, with a tasty little edge to keep you on your toes. Like what Angelina Collie might be if she were blond and had taken up curator work for the museum instead of acting. However, he was spoken for. Not to dampen anything about Verda, one must be blind, insane or madly in love with another to not take notice of her, but for Sly, the only one for him was Carmelita.

_Speaking of which, I should bring her here one day, I'm sure she'll love it._ Sly thought as he pictured his love interest.

"And here we have our latest exhibit, remnants of the Antikythera shipwreck…" Verda pointed out and continued to discuss about it.

This snapped Sly back into reality. He was enjoying himself so much that he nearly forgot about his mission. Sly took out the device Bentley made for him and started filming.

"Try and film the room Sly, not the tour guide…" A nasally voice whispered in his ear.

Sly had forgotten about the live feed camera in his top button and cursed underneath his breath that his less than professional actions up until now had been recorded. _They're not going to let me live this down._

He panned around the room with the "camera" until he got a cue every now and then to hold its position. The device Sly was using was able to send back in real time, images it captured to Bentley. And as an added perk, it was able to detect electromagnetic signals. What looked like a tourist filming in awe of his surroundings was actually in fact, a master thief sending information back and help marking the locations of security arrays.

After a few more moments when both Sly and Bentley were sure they got everything, Bentley instructed Sly that he was good to leave whenever, but to try and not make it look obvious.

A part of him hated for this day to end, he was in the company of a beautiful woman, although not the one he wanted it to be with, but a close second; he'd have to admit. He was enjoying a day out in the _day_ of all things, and _not _skulking around, and scaling the rooftops being chased, although that was also enjoyable in its own way.

But as they say, "all good things must come to an end." He sighed at this aspect.

"Oh… I'm sorry, am I boring you?" a timid voice asked, and like a siren, lulled his attention to its direction.

"Hmm? Oh no, not at all. Your company was the pinnacle of today's outing."

"Was." she smiled, with a slight hint of sadness, knew it meant it was the end of their time together. "I'm glad you enjoyed yourself. Here, this way please. Let me walk you to the exit."

They continued the journey in silence. Upon reaching the exit they both said their good byes and spoke briefly about their appreciation for each other's company. They both turned and walked in opposite directions, never looking back.

The same security guard who screened him earlier nodded at him as he was about to leave.

"Did you enjoy yourself today sir?"

Sly smiled. "I most certainly did, your staff here is most pleasant. Kudos to you guys on the added feature of curators that guide you throughout the entire museum."

"I'm glad to hear it… but sir, we don't offer that here. Each curator has a specific area in which they monitor; they're not supposed to leave their section."

Sly in response to this looked back, only to see a wave of tourists.

With a smirk more to himself than to the guard, responded in a hushed voice.

"My mistake then."

And walked out of the museum.

**A/N: **Just letting everyone and anyone that wanted to know, I am using facts and information I've acquired from first hand experiences while traveling. I wanted to inform you all also, that the Museum of Archeology in Athens is actually having an Antikythera shipwreck temporary exhibit at this moment in time, so I suggest you guys visit or Google it as it's an interesting read.

Once again, I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing it (rather repeating myself all three chapters but it's how I honestly feel.) Please look forward to the next chapter. Feel free to leave comments, suggestions, questions, and reviews. I thank you all in advance – J.L


	4. Chapter 4: Snafu

**A/N & Disclaimer: **I do not own the rights to any of the characters that are affiliated with _Sucker Punch Productions (2002-05)_, _Nihilistic Software (2011)_, and/or _Sanzaru Games (2012-Present)_. I do however, own their products and highly recommend to those who don't, to please support the creators of the franchise. The portrayal of their characters in this fan fiction is just that, of fiction; they do not in any way reflect the "actual-true fictional storyline" created by the *stated above* developers of the Sly Cooper franchise.

In the last chapter under "author's notes" I briefly mentioned about how this fan fiction will be pushed to a weekly release due to my school and work schedule. However, due to the number of positive reviews reaching double digits I felt the need to thank you all, to those reading and reviewing; by spending some free time I had over the weekend to write up another chapter (it's not much I know, but that's all I got).

Now with that said and done. Here is chapter four. Enjoy.

**Chapter Four:** _Snafu_

Bentley was going over the recordings Sly procured for him earlier in the day. Needless to say there was much editing that needed to be done; of the numerous hours of recording there was about only a minute or two of useful video.

"What can I say? The camera loved her, and as a gentleman I couldn't just turn down a lady's request, could I pal? Sly spoke matter-of-factly as he watched his friend mulling on what to keep and what was just testosterone taking control of the camera.

The only response he got from his friend was an annoyed huff, which impelled Sly to back away slowly.

Another hour later, Bentley finally sifted through the footage and called the gang to debrief them on what they had.

"You must be joking, y….you want me to do _what?"_

"I want you to walk through the front door." Bentley repeated in a serious tone.

Sly stood there in disbelief.

"Is this because of the footage I captured? I've already said 'I'm sorry' for that Bentley, there's no need to intentionally get me caught."

"I'm serious Sly; this isn't because of any personal vendettas. With no way of entry on the roof, no easy window access, we're left with only one option, and that's through the front door."

"So…what? Do I just look for the key underneath the 'welcome' mat?"

"You leave the door to Penelope. She's currently trying to hack into the alarm system via wireless on site."

"How will we know if she got in or not?"

"Well…" The turtle mused. "If she is successful, then smooth sailing. But if she doesn't, then a whole bunch of alarms and flashing lights will let you know otherwise."

Sly grimaced at this aspect.

"I'm not too sure about this pal, no offense but this seems very touch and go." Sly said trying hard to mask his worry.

"Well, let's just say this isn't going to be part of my 'hall of fame' of master plans, but you have to work with what you got, and we don't have much. We're limited on time, they're planning on moving the exhibit tomorrow so we need to do this, and do it quick." Bentley sighed.

Sly nodded just as Bentley received a call represented by a harmonious beep on his monitor.

"It's Penelope… she's done it! She says that we're good to go whenever. Murray! You're on! It's time to fire up the van big guy."

Murray turned off the Nascar program he was watching, got off the couch and grabbed his gear, which consisted of his driving mask, goggles, and his driving gloves all of which were in his trademark color; red.

Right as they were about to leave Sly turned to Bentley.

"So, just making sure, we're 'good' about the arduous amount of time you had to spend going over the tapes, right?"

There was an awkward silence.

"Does not Dionysius seem to have made it sufficiently clear that there can be nothing happy for the person over whom some fear always looms? For the sword of Damocles that precariously dangles above thy head looms; representing of the impending doom in which in time, will crash down upon you, cleaving you in twain."

"Uhh…. Right. So, we're good?" Sly tried to play it off with a smile.

"I'll tell you when we are… 'Good' Sly." Bentley said with a purposeful pause.

Bentley smiled a creepy smile, turned, and wheeled himself out of the hideout, leaving a very scared raccoon in his wake.

It didn't take more than ten minutes for Murray to drive through the quiet streets of Athens before they reached the Museum. They parked the van a few streets away, nothing obtrusive, just hidden underneath a broken street lamp. It wasn't too far out of the way, but just the right distance to not be spotted by the proximity cameras installed on the exterior of the building.

Sly skillfully slipped by said cameras with ease and was now confronted with his inanimate arch nemesis; a locked door.

He stood there for a moment peering to the left, and then to the right. He technically hasn't committed a crime yet; he could still turn around and walk out of this a free raccoon. Thoughts of worst case scenarios raced through his mind, _is he really just going to be able to walk through the front door?_

With a deep breath, he swallowed, and placed a gloved hand on the door. He put some pressure onto it, and slowly but surely, the door gave way. The door was opened.

With a great sigh of relief, Sly carefully treaded inside. However as he closed the door behind him, a series of loud sirens could be heard.

Cane at the ready, Sly instinctively crouched low to become a smaller target and was in his attack position; darting his eyes: left, right, and center.

Moments later the alarms subsided and an eerie silence fell over Sly. His heart pounding in his ears, the only sound that was more predominant was his ragged breaths as he tried to calm down and assess the situation. He kept scanning the lobby but nothing was amiss. No sounds of hurried footsteps, no lights being turned on, nothing whatsoever. That is until he heard a nasally voice in his ear.

"Now… we're even."

Sly was about to question what his cohort was talking about until he realized that the alarm was set off by Bentley via earpiece. Wave of emotions from apprehension and trepidation, to anger washed over him. Just as he was about to unleash a torrent of expletives he was interrupted by the guilty party in question.

"Now, now… come on Sly, focus on the task at hand here. We don't want you to raise your voice and set off the alarms for real now, do we?"

"Don't. _Ever_. Do. That. Again." Sly growled back.

Bentley stifled a laugh and promised that he wouldn't. _The sword of Damocles indeed._

He instead guided Sly through the interior from the footage they captured. "It's just up ahead in the next gallery Sly."

"Thanks pal; the large sign that said 'Antikythera exhibit' wasn't a clue." Sly shot back bitterly.

"You're not still mad are you?"

"What I did was unintentionally, what _you_ did was…was… well just plain _cruel!_"

They continued to argue on the topic until a familiar voice interrupted their bickering.

"Will you two hens stop this incessant clucking? We have a job to do if you boys have forgotten. I can't keep the security system down for much longer before the backup system kicks in." Penelope roared.

"Sorry…" they both said in unison.

Back on the task at hand, it would appear the museum had lasers installed that crisscrossed the entire display. Sly quickly climbed up onto the bow of the replica that the museum had built to mimic the shipwreck, and made his way to the stern. Then he did the unthinkable… and jumped.

He barreled forward into a mid-air somersault; he twirled around and ended his flourish by landing on the beam of light. Sly was doing what no other could, with the exception of his father from whom he learned this unique technique. He slid down the laser to the display case. In one swift move, he snatched it from its perch, front flipped, and landed softly onto the ground.

"Thank you, thank you." He bowed to the imaginary crowd.

Sly basking in his own athleticisms ended as soon as he started. He felt something being pushed up against the square of his back.

"Well inspector, fancy meeting you here. I was just thinking the other day how I should take you to visit this place someday." Sly's voice became smooth as velvet. It's amazing how fast he can turn into Casanova when his favorite gal came into the picture.

With the gentle flick of his wrist, he was able to twirl his cane knocking the object aside; he launched himself forward to create some distance between the two. However, when he turned to face his opponent, it wasn't the one he was expecting. Who he assumed was his vivacious other, was instead a figure blanketed in the shadows. And instead of the shock pistol, he was specifically cautious of the object in its hand.

"You're not Carmelita… who are you?" Sly asked accusingly.

The stranger did nothing to answer, but instead crouched down into a squatted position. Before Sly could register what on earth it was doing, the figure launched itself across the room like a rocket in his direction.

"Gees!" was all he could get out before he barely sidestepped the projectile. There was a fragrant scent that wafted by. _Is that…. Perfume? A woman?_

The stranger skidded to a halt. Sly brought up his family heirloom in front of him.

"I'll ask you again, who are you? How did you get pass my team?"

Once again the figure did nothing to answer him, and dashed forward. Sly in response swung hard to the left as she closed in. The figure ducked below the swing and pressed what appeared to be a button on the object she was holding and swung upwards. Sly instinctively jumped back just as the weapon fully deployed grazing his clothes.

_That's two close calls... and what's with that weapon? It looks similar to the Cooper family's crook. It's shaped into the traditional Cooper "C."_

"Mimicry is the highest form of flattery." Sly taunted.

Silence.

_Come on… take the bait, there's too many questions popping up, and I need you to answer them!_

"It's a pretty good replica, did you make it yourself? Sadly it'll never match up with the real deal."

Silence.

Sly was about to give up on the whole provoking method until…

"Who said it was a fake?"

_Gotcha. _Sly grinned to himself.

"That's because I have the authentic one right here."

"That may be true. But it's still inferior to the one I'm wielding." The figure responded showing off her arsenal.

"Now that we're on speaking terms, mind telling me who you are and what you're doing here?"

The figure hesitated for a moment before responding.

"The name is 'A.C' you might as well know it, seeing as how we'll be seeing one another quite often from now on. And to my reason for being here? Same as you." The figure pointed to what was in Sly's left hand.

"The Antikythera mechanism." Sly griped it tighter in his hand.

"Now, if you would be so kind." The figure known as A.C simply extended her hand out for the universal gesture of "give it here."

"Sly!" Penelope's panic voice filled his ear. "You have to get out there, now! The back up security system has detected that the main one has been offline for too long, it'll only take a few minutes for it to boot up!"

"Is there any possibility that you and I can exit this building within the next few moments, and it ends with me keeping the mechanism?"

"Nope."

Sly shrugged. "Had to ask."

Sly placed the mechanism into his bag that was attached to his left leg and rushed A.C. He brought down his cane and she, brandishing her own, swung upwards. The sound of metal on metal echoed through the entire museum. Now was not the time for stealth it was an all-out battle to incapacitate the other in order to escape with the spoils of war.

They both weaved and bobbed out of the way, striking back whenever they could. They continued the dance, no wasted movements in any of their actions, striking at one another each blow if it were to hit would be a mortal one. They drew blood from one another, inflicting nicks and cuts on each other's skin that would later be seen as scars of battle.

Their breathing became more strained as they continued to attack and defend.

"You got two more minutes Sly! Get out of there!" Penelope's voice sounding more desperate.

"I'm going in!" There was the sound of a door opening and slamming shut.

"No Murray! Stay with the van! If Sly gets out we need you ready to drive off… Murray!"

A.C swung hard into the body of Sly. Barely managing to block in time, Sly grunted with effort and managed to shove off his opponent. He knew he couldn't keep this up much longer, as well as his window of opportunity for escape was steady and rapidly getting smaller.

With the last of his strength he cried out a warrior's kiai, and brought down his cane overhead. A.C brought up her cane in the nick of time but was brought to a knee. Her strength was giving out also, and couldn't shake off the pressure on top of her.

"Give up! We both don't have time for this. It'll be only be a short amount of time before the guards come and the alarms are back online. We can both get out of this, you just need to surrender!" Sly barked.

"Not. Without. The mechanism." A.C grunted with effort.

Sly shifted his weight forward and pressured her even more. It was at this angle that he was able to catch a glimpse of her face.

"Verda?"

A smirk appeared on her face. "_Qui, monsieur Cooper."_

In the moment of recognition, Sly had eased off some of his weight, which was enough for A.C to slide out from underneath and the sickening sound of electricity crackled from her crook. Sly quickly brought up his weapon to block, but the electricity coursed through her weapon, into his, and ultimately into him.

He howled in pain and fell to his knees. His cane slipped from his grip and he fell backwards and crumpled to the ground. A.C rummaged through his bag and retrieved the mechanism. The last thing he recalled before blacking out, was a pink hippo with tears streaming down his face, running towards him before the world turned dark.

**A/N: **Okay first off, this chapter turned out to be a lot longer than I intended it to be. Secondly, I am surprised to say I had a bit of writer's block while writing this chapter. This… doesn't ever happen to me usually. I tend to just sit at my computer, ponder for a moment, gather up all the material and scenes in my head and then start writing (hence why the previous three chapters flowed seamlessly). This particular chapter took about three times as long as my previous chapters, and I have all of you to blame! The pressure of pleasing my readers bested me to say the least, and I am ashamed that I might have let you all down with this chapter.

However as usual, I thoroughly enjoyed writing this chapter and I hope you have as much fun reading it as I did writing it. Please don't take my "blaming you" to heart, as I meant it as a joke and in a positive manner. You are all my peers and I appreciate all the positive reinforcement you have been giving me. I write because it's my hobby and career, but mainly I write it for the enjoyment of others who dedicate their time reading my works. So once again, I thank you all for your time. See you in the next chapter. – J.L


	5. Chapter 5: Score to Settle

**A/N & Disclaimer: **I do not own the rights to any of the characters that are affiliated with _Sucker Punch Productions (2002-05)_, _Nihilistic Software (2011)_, and/or _Sanzaru Games (2012-Present)_. I do however, own their products and highly recommend to those who don't, to please support the creators of the franchise. The portrayal of their characters in this fan fiction is just that, of fiction; they do not in any way reflect the "actual-true fictional storyline" created by the *stated above* developers of the Sly Cooper franchise.

I'm just not an author of my own word apparently. I keep stating that this will be a weekly release, yet here I am again with chapter five, only a few days of posting chapter four. I will be taking an exam to enter the educational department for my college, so as to continue my intended career choice of an English professor. I am uncertain how long this entire process will take, but will try and continue this fan fiction as this is what I like to do to relax, and to take a break from the reality of things. I have chapters six and seven planned out already so it's just a matter of me finding the spare time to sit at my computer and type out the usual six to seven pages worth of text per chapter.

However, with that said; I might actually have to force and limit myself to weekly releases, as if I continue at this pace I might just run out of material. I could always just do a sequel or something, but I like this particular series. Also as Sly Cooper 4: Thieves in time will not be released until Q3 or Q4 of this year; I'd like to get my Sly Cooper fix writing a fan fiction until it comes out.

Now with that long winded A/N said and done. Here is chapter five. Enjoy.

**Chapter Five:** _Score to settle_

_I must help Sly!_ Was the only thought on Murray's mind as he heard Penelope's frantic pleading for Sly to get out before the backup security system came online. Hippos were known for their single task one-tracked minds; so when Murray set his on saving Sly, no one was surprised to see him rushing inside without thinking of the risks and consequences to himself. Just like a train chugging along: _I must help Sly! I must help Sly! I must help…..Sly?_

Upon reaching the Antikythera exhibit, he spotted a blue-clothed crumpled mass on the ground.

"Sly!" Murray cried out, and rushed over to his unmoving friend.

"Sly?" Murray stood over him and was unable to process what he was seeing. Images of when Bentley was in a similar state after their encounter with Clock-la filled his mind. He allowed his instincts to take over. He carefully and gracefully picked up his companion and looked around the room. He rushed over to gather up the Cooper cane and did a one-eighty back out the direction he came.

"Murray! Did you get Sly? Is he okay?" a nasally voice inquired.

"I got him, but he's not moving. I don't know what's wrong with him!"

"Just get him to the van; I'll see to it that he's okay. Penelope, rendezvous point, now! Stay hidden, we'll be there as soon as we can."

Murray barreled through the front doors too late and the air filled with alarms and sirens. He was sweating and breathing hard, but nevertheless he continued to pound the pavement. His thunderous footsteps could be heard echoing throughout the large plaza. The few hundred yards that he needed to cover to reach the van, felt like a distance he'd never complete.

Bentley was already in the back when Murray reached the van. He opened the back doors allowing Murray to gingerly put Sly down. He took the cane from him and put it aside, he then wheeled himself over to the medical kit found along the wall of the van, and started tending to his unconscious leader. Murray looked on with tears streaming down his face, at a lost to what to do.

"Murray get into the driver's seat, we need to get out of here, _fast!"_

Murray did as he was told; he wiped his tears away and put on a gruff exterior. He put the keys into the ignition and turned. The engine roared to life and the wheels screeched as they peeled away from the scene of the crime.

After they were a few minutes into their getaway, Bentley counted the number of times Murray peeked into the rear view mirror. He knew the big guy wanted to ask how Sly was doing, but was keeping quiet as to not distract the turtle from doing what needed to be done.

"He's fine Murray, you did good back there. You did the right thing not listening to me, and I'm glad that you did. I'm sure Sly is too."

Murray must have been relieved to hear that, he nodded, but said nothing.

There was a harmonious beep that came from Bentley's console.

"That's Penelope, she's ready to be picked up; meet her at the rendezvous point Murray."

They drove up a street, slowed, and came to a brief but full stop. Immediately from the shadows the pink mouse raced and got into the passenger seat, and they were in motion again. Penelope turned and looked back at the patient.

"How is Sly doing? What happened in there?"

Bentley not taking his eyes off Sly pondered at the question.

"There was someone else there, it would seem. These cuts and bruises prove that." He said solemnly.

"And from the looks of it, he was hit by an electric current, the internal wiring for the ear piece he was wearing are fried." Bentley handed the device to Penelope who reaffirmed his analysis.

"Was it Carmelita?" Murray finally spoke up.

"No, I extremely doubt it. The residual residue on Sly didn't come from any shock pistol. Besides, although Inspector Fox is very black or white about who the good and who the bad guys are, I don't think she has it in her to do this to anybody… especially not to Sly."

"Bentley is right, it's _definitely_ not inspector Fox." Penelope chimed in. She was fiddling with her RC controller.

"What makes you say that?" Bentley arched his brows in a questioning manner.

"That's because I'm chasing after the person who _did_ do it, right now."

"What?" Bentley rolled himself to the front of the van.

On the view screen of the RC device, it showed a bird's eye view of the rooftops and a mysterious figure hopping from rooftop to rooftop.

"That must be her. It was only a few lines, but Sly managed to get her to talk and it definitely sounded female." Bentley pointed out.

"So what do I do? Drive back to the safe house for Sly? How far does the signal reach? Can you keep following?"

"This isn't one of the longer ranged spy copters that I possess; the signal for this one is limited. It only has about a two mile radius." Penelope responded.

"You heard her Murray, chase after her big guy. After all…" Bentley looked back. "We have a bone to pick with her."

I know this was a short chapter, but there is a good reason for this. Firstly this aptly finishes the Athens museum heist segment of the story. Secondly the next chapter will start the next "arc," where if you were following the story, the gang "chases after Verda." And finally to be honest, it was originally much longer. But as stated, this "chapter" (what I have published) ends the current case. So I read it over and I thought "This section here is the start of a whole other arc, best to break it up into two chapters."

So yes, that does mean that the next chapter is already finished, as it was originally part of this chapter. However, as stated in the first author's notes; I will be postponing the release of it as I do not want to "run out of material" and rush its ending. Pacing plays a very important role in making a story interesting, and me constantly releasing in an irregular scheduled manner ruins that pacing. As least that's what I think.

So with that cleared up and explained. I hope you all enjoyed this, albeit short chapter. Once again, please feel free to leave comments, reviews, suggestions, and questions and I'll do my best to address them in the next chapter's author's notes. – J.L


	6. Chapter 6: Living Nightmare

**A/N & Disclaimer: **I do not own the rights to any of the characters that are affiliated with _Sucker Punch Productions (2002-05)_, _Nihilistic Software (2011)_, and/or _Sanzaru Games (2012-Present)_. I do however, own their products and highly recommend to those who don't, to please support the creators of the franchise. The portrayal of their characters in this fan fiction is just that, of fiction; they do not in any way reflect the "actual-true fictional storyline" created by the *stated above* developers of the Sly Cooper franchise.

Greetings to everyone once again; I really have to put a password on my word processor or something, because I just can't to seem to keep to a weekly schedule. Here is chapter six three days after I put my foot down claiming that this will be a weekly series… I'm so _weak-willed!_

With that said and done. Here is Chapter six. Enjoy.

**Chapter Six:** _Living Nightmare_

_This has to be a dream_. He was back at the posh hotel in France; he could remember this memory so vividly as if it had just happened yesterday. He stood there, alone on the balcony as he looked out over France. The _Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile_ looked beautiful at night. Fireworks were bursting in the air celebrating _Le Quatorze Juillet,_ or "Bastille Day" to English-speaking countries, that commemorated the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789.

The sound of the party goers happily chattering away, and dining on the finest French cuisine France has to offer behind closed doors.

He loosened his red bow tie a tiny bit, as it was starting to cut off circulation. He had provoked many positive comments that evening, looking particularly dashing and debonair in his suit and tie; _Thaddeus eat your heart out._

He had grown accustomed to the pedestrian life, but every so often he would seek some sanctuary, some place of solace away from the crowds. He missed the times when it was just him and his best buds planning and pulling off a heist, but he didn't regret his decision for even a second. And the reason for that was…

He heard the doors behind him open, the boisterous voices from within exploded out, only to recede again upon closing of the doors.

_Speak of the devil._ He could faintly hear the "clicking" of the person's heels, along with the sound of clinking metal of the handcuffs that swayed back and forth attached to her black leather handbag as she approached. He didn't turn to look at her, just continued to blankly stare at the wide open world in front of him.

"I was starting to wonder where you wondered off to."

Sly turned in response. Even though he'd been with her for about a year now, after he chose to hang up his hat and cane after the incident on Kaine Island with Doctor M at the Cooper vault; he still occasionally was left breathless when in her presence.

There she was, the love of his life; in a stunning blue dress that clung to her as if the dressed was a part of her, made specifically just for her. Her hypnotic features, her curves, everything… she was the pinnacle of beauty and perfection. Her curled blue locks that were usually tied into a braid were let down and free tonight, it wisped a little in the night air. Her eyes shimmered in the full moon. Her perfectly groomed tail swayed seductively as she walked, and all he could do was continue to stare.

"You weren't planning on running off, and leaving me here by myself were you?" she teased and made sure he saw her hands on her handcuffs.

Sly put up both of his hands in front of him in an "I surrender" gesture and smiled.

"I wouldn't think of it inspector Fox."

She frowned. "What did I tell you about being so formal when we're alone?"

"I wouldn't think of it _Mon seul et unique amour._" - My one and only love. Sly corrected with one of his trademark playful smirks.

"That's better." She walked into his arms and they embraced. Eyes closed both just enjoying the warmth and their proximity to one another. How he wished this moment would never end.

"Isn't this just a heartwarming scene?" A voice suddenly spoke out.

Both Carmelita and Sly turned in surprise to see a shadowed figure perched on the ledge above the door.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Carmelita asked defensively.

The figure dropped down and walked closer to the couple.

Sly eyes widened as he recognized the intruder.

"It's you! Argh!" Sly cried out in pain as he gripped his forehead with one hand; desperately grasping at the banister with the other, and fell to his knees.

"Sly? What's wrong?" Carmelita wrapped her arms around him.

"Y…you're not supposed to be here. This isn't what happened, why…" Sly's voice trailed off.

"Do I need a reason?" A.C smiled cruelly.

She stopped a few steps away from them and reached back and brought out her weapon. She pressed on the switch and it quickly deployed, the crook glistening in the moonlight, and Sly likened the weapon to the grim reaper's scythe. He quickly shoved Carmelita away.

"Carm… run!" Sly desperately screamed.

But there was nowhere _to_ run; A.C was blocking the only escape route. Carmelita held her ground; her thoughts were on the safety of her partner.

"Drop your weapon. Now." She ordered with commanding authority despite being unarmed herself.

"You're threatening and assaulting an inspector and constable of Interpol, I'm sure you know what's in store for you if you continue with your actions." She was stalling, she unbuckled her handbag.

"I don't think you're in any position to be giving anyone orders inspector." A.C slashed at the ground creating sparks, leaving deep slits into the concrete.

A.C had the advantage and she knew, she was taunting them, all the while wearing the world's most deranged smile.

Sly managed to put weight back into his legs, and he stepped in between her and Carmelita.

"Sly what are you doing? Get behind me. I'll handle this." Carmelita pleaded, but it fell on deaf ears as Sly ignored her.

"Please, not her. You have business with me right? Just, please, don't hurt her."

"Sly!" Carmelita tried again, but Sly held her firmly behind him.

Sly dropped his voice to an almost inaudible whisper. "When I give the signal you run back to the party, try and get back up, but do not alert the civilian guests. She's dangerous and we don't need widespread panic."

"I'm not leaving you here alone, you're barely able to stand, and she has…._that_ thing!" She gestured at the weapon in A.C's hand.

"Please, just listen to me. I know you're stubborn but I need you to do what I say. Please Carmelita."

Carmelita had never seen Sly so scared and desperate. After a moment she reluctantly agreed.

They were in sync with one another; the very heartbeat that Sly dashed forward, so did Carmelita. Sly threw a punch which A.C easily side stepped, Carmelita ran passed. Sly and A.C swapped places. Now it was Sly's back facing the doors, he was the last line and the only line of defense to prevent A.C from getting to Carmelita.

He knew full well that even with back up, chances were not in their favor. A.C easily rivaled Sly's own natural prowess and athleticisms, and he never had any issues dealing with members of Interpol or of criminal organizations like the Klaww gang; so he doubted she would either.

But his main priority was to get Carmelita out of there; he hadn't planned anything further than that.

He wobbled and struggled to keep standing, there was two battles being waged; Sly against A.C, and Sly versus Sly. His head was getting the better of him. He could barely keep his eyes open, the shooting pain was at the point of blinding him. He threw punches that were nowhere near landing its mark, to which caused A.C to laugh.

Not once, not twice, but three times she tripped him with her crook; laughing manically every time.

The world blurred as he was hurled through the air and landed hard on his back, knocking the air out of his lungs. He tried to get up but a weight was pressed down upon his chest. He gasped for air, as a starving dog gobbles food – compulsively, desperately, in pain and trembling.

A.C pressed upon the weapon again, and the same sickening crackle of electricity that has been instilled into Sly's memory could now be heard. The electricity sparked and arched violently from the weapon.

The sound of a weapon discharging shot out from behind. A.C quickly turned and deflected the shot. She stumbled off of Sly.

Sly lifted his head. He could barely make out the blob, a shapeless entity to his eyes; but he knew who it was. It was Carmelita. She must have known his "master plan" was a ruse for her to escape, but she came back anyway.

_It's no use… Carmelita can't beat her, the best decision for her was, to leave me and run…but… It's no use. I'm attracted to her because she's like that…_

His vision cleared as oxygen was getting into his system. Every shot that Carmelita fired was negated. A.C's weapon seemed to feed off of the shock pistol, and Carmelita was starting to be pushed back. Foot by foot, inch by inch; A.C drew closer. Sly tried to look away but something prevented him from doing so. It was as if he his head was locked into position to watch what he knew came next.

_This is not a dream… it's a nightmare._

A.C knocked the inspector's weapon away; she raised her weapon in the air. It sparked hungrily as if knowing it was about to feed. Tears were in the inspector's eyes and a low whimper came out that carried its way to the Raccoon's ears: _Sly…help me…_

A.C brought down the weapon on Carmelita. Her scream tore through the night and as quickly as it started, it was over.

Sly's mouth opened, but all that came out of it was a mute howl.

A.C turned and strolled over to Sly. Stood over him and at this angle he could only see the whites of her eyes and the Cheshire cat like grin plastered on her face. She brought her crook near his face and it crackled.

Sly just stared at the weapon, but it wasn't an act of defiance, it was more of an act of acknowledgement. She controlled what happens here, she was in total dominance. Sly lost the will to fight, and his spirit was now broken, and this hurt him more than any flesh wound she could inflict.

A.C lifted up her weapon into the air once more, but before she brought it down her lips moved. Sly watched, as she mouthed the words.

She brought down the weapon and the all too familiar darkness enveloped him again. The only sound that rang in his ears was the words she mouthed: _You killed her…. You killed her._

Bentley and the rest of the gang hurried, following the cues from Penelope to which way they should turn to keep up with the mysterious woman. Bentley continued to monitor Sly's condition. Both Penelope and Murray with important tasks at hand, keeping track and driving, still occasionally tossed a glance back at their fallen comrade.

_Sly, you're a lucky guy to have so many that care about you._ Bentley thought to himself. This wasn't just happening to Sly. It was happening to all of them. Bentley sat there watching Sly, as a tear ran down his furry cheek.

"Sly?" They all said at once. But he didn't speak back to them or even try to open his eyes.

There was just that single tear.

**A/N: **Greetings everybody who reads this. I hope *repeating again* that you all enjoyed this as much as I did writing it. I will be taking a short break from this fan fiction and will be working on another based on Beowulf (the Seamus Heaney translation edition). I've been meaning to do one, because he was always represented as this hero among heroes, men among men… that was an aspect I found extremely irritating. It's going to be following along the story that SH covered with my own touches added to it.

Also, I've added a photo and updated my profile to give the allusion that I am in fact, human. Hopefully properly because I am rather new to this whole online forum thing and I hope that I updated/uploaded it correctly…

Anyway, as usual, please post any comments, reviews, suggestions, and questions as I'll try and address them in my author's notes. P.S I hope the bolded "A/N" is to your liking **Cheesebread222**. Also when I am finished with the Beowulf piece, I might be willing to do a collaboration (highly unlikely due to my schedule but would be interested)


	7. Chapter 7: Yield to Thieves

**A/N & Disclaimer: **I do not own the rights to any of the characters that are affiliated with _Sucker Punch Productions (2002-05)_, _Nihilistic Software (2011)_, and/or _Sanzaru Games (2012-Present)_. I do however, own their products and highly recommend to those who don't, to please support the creators of the franchise. The portrayal of their characters in this fan fiction is just that, of fiction; they do not in any way reflect the "actual-true fictional storyline" created by the *stated above* developers of the Sly Cooper franchise.

Greetings and salutations to my readers and reviewers, this is Deags here with the seventh chapter of _Sly as a Fox_. I haven't been procrastinating as if you've paid attention to my previous chapter; I was working on a Beowulf piece. It took me about four days to complete and a fifth one to revise, it's posted up in the Books Beowulf section entitled: The original sin and fall of man. Check it out if you have the time, although I don't recommend doing it in one sitting, it's about 47 pages long.

**Side Note: **I've actually been dealing with anonymous personal messages, that were angry at the fact that I killed off Carmelita and how "That's messedip! She's hes gilrfirned!" Which I reassured them I haven't, for the dream was of an event that took place in the past, and if you've read the fan fiction from chapter one, you can see that Carmelita is well enough alive and in fact, haven't met A.C before Paris. So, I hope that clears up things, so that no more random personal messages pertaining to the reason why Carmelita is alive and well in my story.

With that said and done. Here is chapter seven. Enjoy.

**Chapter Seven:** _ Yield to Thieves_

The gang continued to follow the elusive being that incapacitated Sly. Every movement she made, they mimicked; they were not about to let her get away. Penelope watched first hand in real time from her RC monitor. She watched as the unknown foe leapt from rooftop to rooftop doing gravity defying leaps, she observed as the stranger scaled straight vertical walls that towered over her, and she got a glimpse of the figure that slipped through crevices and openings with ease, and slid down wires as if friction didn't apply.

It was a sight to behold; if Penelope wasn't already familiar with Sly's own similar antics; surely her movements would have left her breathless. It was as if she was dancing, and the entire world was her stage.

"Make a right here Murray!" Penelope instructed.

"You got it!" he nailed the hairpin turn and the cooper van for a moment was on two wheels. As it crashed back down to earth, the entire interior of the van shook.

"Careful Murray! Sly is in no condition for your reckless driving." Bentley admonished.

"What's the plan Bentley? We can't just keep following her all night; we're going to lose her at this rate, and my RC helicopter is running low on power."

Bentley knew this to be true. He needed to figure out a way to stop if not, at least to somehow slow her down so that they could get their hands on her.

"Penelope, do you still have the blue prints of the area?"

Penelope nodded and handed him the schematics of the terrain she had mapped and printed out. Bentley started studying them.

"Is your RC Helicopter armed?"

Once again Penelope nodded, trying to maintain her focus on the screen.

Bentley continued to study the maps; a minute or two later he devised a plan. It was a risky one, but it was all he could come up with on such short notice. _I hope this plan turns out better than the previous impromptu one…_ he thought as he looked at his unconscious friend. A sharp pang stabbed at his cold-blooded heart, he used that pain to fuel his resolve. _The plan will work, it just had to._

Bentley started tapping away at his keys. "Penelope, I want you to lead her into this area here, which I've marked with an appropriate 'X.' Do you think you can do it?"

Penelope's monitor went into split screen, half of it was the feed from her RC helicopter, and the other half was a map of Athens. There was an area that was highlighted with a large white "X."

"I think I can… but what would that accomplish? There's nothing there but the reconstruction district."

"Just trust me, Murray, get ready too. We're going to need your famous thunder flop pal."

"You can count on, 'The Murray!'"

A.C continued to try and shake the surveillance but nothing she did could get away from the droning of the RC device. It was far too high for her to destroy it, and she was quickly running out of steam. Beating Sly was no easy feat; in fact she would have definitely lost if she didn't get lucky near the end with the element of surprise.

She was getting short of breath, and it was getting harder to time her jumps correctly. On one particular bad landing, she tumbled forward into a _mae ukemi_, to prevent fall damage. She scrambled to get up and put her back up against a wall. Like a gut-punched boxer she gasped for breath, only to nearly hyperventilate upon hearing the incessant hum of the RC helicopter getting closer.

_I just need another minute, and I'll be able to catch my breath._ But her hope was dashed upon hearing a slight whistling noise coming from above. She peeked out and looked up. _Oh no…_ and made a mad dash to the edge of the roof. She leapt, feeling the wind rush on her fur, barely in time before an explosion erupted behind her, tossing her forward, and landing on the next rooftop hard on her side. She grunted involuntarily upon hitting the roof, and whatever air she had left in her body forced its way out of her.

She groaned as she struggled to get up. She deployed her cane and used it to prop herself upright. A.C turned towards the previous rooftop and saw it set ablaze.

_Are they insane? So much for element of stealth…_ her assessment of the situation was interrupted by the sound of whistling, in which she instinctively looked up again. He snarled at the falling object as if she could somehow ward it off. She quickly turned and hobbled, desperately to get to the edge. This time the next rooftop was a good ways down and across the way.

A.C stood at the ledge and took a deep breath, she needed to focus; like how she did in Paris. The whistling of the explosive, the hum of the RC helicopter, all of that seem to be washed away with the sound of her heart beat and breathing. She looked down and saw the lights again; the "indicators." There were some dotted indicators on the metallic pole below that no longer waved a flag, and across the way was an awning she could use to bounce herself back upwards onto the next roof.

She closed her eyes and dropped.

As the mass of the earth pulled at her, A.C fell thirty-two feet per second; per second it was as if the ground dangerously and rapidly sped up to meet her. At the last moment she stretched out her arm and with her cane grabbed hold of the pole. She looped around in a "U," and landed atop the pole.

She smiled to herself and opened her eyes.

The second explosion erupted above her; she looked upwards to watch as cinders and ash fell down passed her and to the ground below. She heard the screech of tires and knew it had to be Sly and his cohort. She ran across the pole, crossed the road, and bounced up the awnings just as the Cooper van drove pass.

A.C was back on top of the roofs and followed her indicators; against her better judgment it seemed to run off of the ledge on the opposite side. But she was never the one to doubt it. She continued to run at full speed, and crouched low, focusing all of her energy into her legs and she leapt.

To her dismay, the raccoon insignia on the roof of the van stared at her whilst she was in midair. As if to say _gotcha!_ One second A.C could see the Cooper van and the next, nothing but white.

She howled in pain and could no longer maintain her balance. She was blinded, and was barely able to see the vague image of the adjacent building rushing towards her, more like her to _it_. She curled up into a fetal position and prayed she didn't go "splat" on the side of the building.

Pain coursed through her body as the sound of glass shattering accompanied with a rough landing resulted in her skidding to a stop and glass fragments shower atop of her.

She was sure she was dead. At least, that's what she thought. But being able to think that she should be dead proves that she's _not_ dead… right?

She slowly and weakly opened her eyes. Her retinas began to allow her to see things again. She raised her head and looked around. It was a rundown building; the interior had been completely stripped, and was strictly just glass and cement. She tried to get up, and groaned while doing so. She struggled to get up and again used her cane to prop herself up to stand. The glass crunched underneath her feet, she kicked a bit to the side and it scraped against the floor.

Her entire body ached, everything from her head to her toes; but she knew she couldn't stop now. Not after she finally got her hands on the mechanism.

She heard the sound of thunderous footsteps and a noise she could only identify as an electronic "whirr." _What now?_

"Another barrier stands before us. Fear not, I shall bend it like the truth!"

The door to the room were knocked off its hinges and flew towards her, she managed to duck in time for it to sail over her head. She got back on her feet and when the dust settled, A.C was greeted with menacing looks and angry glares.

Standing… well, one standing and the other sitting, in front of her were a turtle in a wheel chair; wearing what looked like an old safari hat and thick rimmed glasses. Two metallic arms came out from an electric powered backpack he had installed into his chair. The other was a muscular but slightly round pinkish hippopotamus, large in stature and looked by far the strongest and the most battle ready of the three males she's come to meet tonight. They looked angry, to say the least.

She took in a deep breath, and cringed at the sharp pained that it caused while doing so.

_I must have broken a rib…_

With fire in her eyes, and the look of unyielding defiance on her face; she smirked, crouched low into an attack position, and readied her cane.

"Come and have a go, if you think you're hard enough!"

**A/N: **It's been a week since I last wrote anything Sly related, and I'm afraid I might have gotten rusty. That's what happens when you're forced to write professional thesis driven reports, and spend most of your time creating a course guideline when teaching. But I guess that's no excuse, everyone is busy at one time or another but still it shouldn't let it get the best of me. I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter, and I thank you all my consistent reviewers and readers. See you next chapter.


	8. Chapter 8: CQC Close Quarter Combat

**A/N & Disclaimer: **I do not own the rights to any of the characters that are affiliated with _Sucker Punch Productions (2002-05)_, _Nihilistic Software (2011)_, and/or _Sanzaru Games (2012-Present)_. I do however, own their products and highly recommend to those who don't, to please support the creators of the franchise. The portrayal of their characters in this fan fiction is just that, of fiction; they do not in any way reflect the "actual-true fictional storyline" created by the *stated above* developers of the Sly Cooper franchise.

Greetings everyone, it's been a whole week since I last updated, and I decided to stop being so lazy and type up a chapter to post. I'd like to thank my usual reviewers: _NinjaxSketcheartx, Cheesebread222 ForeverFreelancer, BananaB0mb, timexgone23, and Why Fireflies Flash._ Mainly because of your devotion to spending a few minutes to read this author's work, when you could easily be doing something more worth your time like, reading the back of a cereal box or something; I have been helping a few members who have personal messaged me for some writing assistance, so hopefully if they do take my advice, look forward to: _Dfmh1_'s, _huh1678, _and _ForeverFreelancer_'s works in the near future.

Speaking of _ForeverFreelancer_, we have begun to co-write a fan fiction entitled _A Part of You_. It's a spin-off of her original character "Tony Fox" from _The Fine Line Between Right and Wrong._ Well, when I say "co-write," it's more like I'm the rubber to bounce ideas off of, to her…glue… intelligence…that, sticks… hmm… See I'm not at all creative nor am I articulate enough to really be of assistance; it was all her. But either way, please feel free to check it out, read, comment, and review to both of our appreciation.

With that said and done. Here is chapter eight. Enjoy.

**Chapter Eight:** _CQC – Close Quarter Combat – _

Murray continued to listen to Penelope's instructions. Every _left! _He'd turn left; every _right!_ He'd turn right. His adrenaline and anger fueled him into a trance-like state, and he sat at the edge of his seat holding the wheel in a vice like grip. He nailed another hairpin turn, stepped on the gas, and continued their chase.

He was anticipating the next command; _will it be left or right? Left? Right? Right? Left?_ He hunched over his wheel eagerly waiting for the call. However, all of his trepidation was for naught, and it came as a shock when both Bentley and Penelope simultaneously screamed out: "Stop!"

Murray shifted his right foot from the accelerator and stomped his gigantic foot onto the brake pedal. The Cooper van jolted and the tires began to wail like banshees in the night. It took a few seconds for the car to completely stop, leaving a few hundred feet worth of tire marks in its wake.

Before Murray could ask "why are we stopping?" Bentley rolled his way to the rear of the van.

"Murray, open up the roof!" Bentley shouted from the back.

Murray flipped the switched in front; the roof of the van started its slow mechanical progress of sending signals, activating, and deactivating switches to complete the inputted command. Bentley unhooked what looked to be like a metallic backpack and equipped it to his wheelchair. Bentley turned it on, and a low hum could be heard. Two arms uncoiled itself from its nesting place, and Bentley tested their dexterity and synchronism by flexing each individual finger. When satisfied, he then used one of the arms to grab a spherical object.

He lightly lobbed it in his mechanical hand, as if to test its heft and weight. He looked up into the beautiful Athens sky, moonlit and starry night; the image was a photo perfect opportunity of nature's representation of the post-impressionist painting of the same name. He made a mental note to himself; he could see why the Greeks were so devoted and invested in the heavens. It was simply breathtaking.

Bentley refocused on the task at hand. He locked his wheelchair in place for stability, and spoke to Penelope without letting his eyes leave the night sky.

"How far is she?" Bentley shouted.

"Estimated time of arrival, in five seconds!" she shouted back, "4…3…2…"

With a grunt of effort, Bentley's rocket arm, _no seriously it uses the same mechanics similar to rocket systems that help the space shuttle and satellites maneuver in orbit._ The sound of pressurized liquid hydrogen peroxide using iridium-coated alumina granules as catalysts, generating pure steam that hissed ever so slightly forcing the pistons up and down, generating motion; _this is my poetry in motion. _

A pitch that would make any major leaguer green with envy, rockets the spherical object into the air, just in time to see their target leap from the adjacent roof. With great satisfaction that his ambush was a success, it was icing on the cake to look upon the face of the vixen who very clearly, was surprised to see them parked underneath her.

An explosion of light enveloped the usually shadow shrouded figure; the spherical object that Bentley threw was a stun grenade, also known as a "flash grenade" or "flashbang," it's a non-lethal explosive device that really lives up to its name. It at first "flashes" and is then followed up with a "bang" that disorients an enemy's senses.

The female form that they were following all evening, with her array of acrobatic stunts and elegant grace; suddenly became a ragdoll in the wind and was spiraling in mid-air, as Bentley had hoped, and crashed through a third floor window.

Bentley unlocked the backdoors and closed them behind him.

"Murray, let's go pal! She has some explaining to do."

Murray complied and exited the driver's seat.

"What do you want me to do Bentley?" Penelope asked as she shifted over to the driver's seat.

"Stay with the van Penelope. We need someone to take care of Sly."

Penelope nodded at her instructions only to add: "Be careful, she's dangerous."

Both Bentley and Murray headed inside the abandoned building and rushed their way upwards.

"She's on this floor… there! She should be in that room Murray!"

A heavy door barred their way, though it looked as if it's been uncared for, for many years now.

"Another barrier stands before us. Fear not, I shall bend it like the truth!"

Murray with his massive body sent the door flying. The dust that had accumulated over the years from the lack of up keeping kicked up, and slowly floated to the ground like dirty snowflakes, blanketing the floor. Like a phoenix from its ashes, the elusive figure they've been chasing after all night, carefully stood up just as the dust settled. They were met with a glare that could pierced the heart of the weak willed, with her back to the moonlight it casted a shadow over her frontal features, the only thing Bentley and Murray could see were her hazel brown eyes, and the metallic glint from the reflection of the moon off of her weapon.

_Is that a crook and cane? Did she steal that from Sly? No… I recalled it being next to him back in the van, it looks like it but it's not it._ Bentley contemplated.

She crouched low, and readied her weapon.

"Come and have a go, if you think you're hard enough!" She cried out.

_She's a tenacious one, I'll give her that._

"Just give us the Antikythera mechanism you stole from our friend, and we'll let you go." It wasn't a complete lie but he didn't want to tango with the girl who can take down Sly.

"If you don't, we'll hafta hurt ya!" Murray chimed in.

A smirk that was all too familiar, and yet so foreign appeared on her face.

"If," she replied. As if that one word was the only relevant word in everything they have said, challenging them to make good on their threat _if_ they could. All while hiding the fact that she was now breaking into a cold sweat due to the pain from simply breathing.

The tension in that dilapidated room was thick enough to cut with a knife. Like in a Hollywood movie, the good guys and the bad stared each other down, knowing that if they made even a single mistake, it'll cost them dearly. A.C gripped her cane to the point that it hurt her, to distract her from the other pain signals her brain was receiving. The sound of Murray's leather gloves squeaked in his hands as he tightened his fist, standing in the typical boxer's stance, and the electric hum of the metallic arms that swayed like snakes side to side, ready to strike.

Murray made the first move; his footsteps thundered and echoed in the abandoned building as he ran forward, with Bentley close behind.

A.C took a deep breath and did what she always does; the unthinkable. Although not at her top speed, she still dashed forward with great agility towards to the males.

Bentley and Murray both attacked simultaneously. Murray pivoted his body; allowing his momentum and body mass, to drive his fists into his enemies like the hundreds, maybe thousands of times before, and attacked high; while Bentley rotated his wheelchair with the assistance of his propulsion system in his wheels, three hundred and sixty degrees, his metallic arms swinging low.

_What's a girl to do in that situation? When being cornered and attacked from high and low? _

_Well obviously, you break through the middle. _And she did just that, with finesse that would even put Sly to shame, she dove in the air and streamlined herself perfectly through the two swings and tumbled into a roll and quickly got to her feet. She turned back to see her two stunned attackers.

"Gentleman," She put her hand to her forehead and gave them a mocking salute, turned around and ran out the door in which they came in.

"After her Murray!" they both followed suit.

Murray continued chasing and ran up the stairs. But before Bentley made his own ascension, there was a voice on the com device.

"What was that Penelope? What about Sly?"

A.C reached the roof. Sweat beading and rolling down her face. Her tough façade failed to maintain on her face. She was getting desperate now, that last maneuver although well worth seeing the stunned look on their faces, took a lot out of her.

_All she needed to do now was… somehow…_ her vision was fading. Her body grew heavier every step she took.

_Focus, you're almost home free, just need to focus._ She stood up straight, purposefully and with poise walked on.

The familiar sound of thunderous footsteps could be heard from the roof access, and she let out a groan.

"Doesn't he know when to give up?" She mumbled under her breath

"No, he never gives up; no matter the odds. That's what makes Murray, Murray."

A.C spun around, her usually deadpan expression in the face of surprise crumbled away and her eyes were wide as saucers. _Impossible, he shouldn't be up and about yet, not after I hit him with a full charge._ She regained her composure and returned to her usual glare.

"Fancy meeting you here, _Monsieur _Cooper."

"It's a beautiful night out tonight, so I thought I'd share it with a girl who had captured my attention."

"I'm flattered. But I must be going." She started to back away.

"That's a shame; looking back at all that had happened these past two days, after all the things we've done and been through, and you're leaving without this?" Sly opened up his hand and in his palm was the Antikythera mechanism.

That awkward moment of realizing when someone has in their possession something you own, resulting in one to instinctively grasp at where it should be, and not where it is. She rummaged through her bag, and when she came up empty handed she looked up at the smug raccoon.

"You are really out of it; I was able to get it off you easy." He hopped down from the ledge.

Before she could even react, the door to the roof burst open and the pink hippopotamus and the green turtle emerged.

"Sly!" both of them cried out.

"Hey guys, sorry if I scared you back there. Smooth driving as always Murray, because of you; I was able to catch a bit of sleep."

The jovial mood did nothing to dissipate A.C's anger that was building. Not only was she in a tight spot now being outnumbered, she could barely function at twenty percent of her usual, it was clear to her that there was no way she was going to be able to retrieve the mechanism and get out here. She had lost.

She did the only thing she could do. She made a mad dash to the only available opening.

"Hey! Stop!" Sly cried and went after her.

She got to the ledge and looked down. Waves crashed up against the barrier, she swallowed as the waters of the Mediterranean called to her. She dropped. Only to be suspended in midair by a hand grabbing onto hers.

She looked up only to see Sly's face looking down on her.

"Let. Me. Go." She growled as she spoke each word.

"No can do, in your condition you'll most likely die." Sly spoke with straining effort.

A.C used her other free hand to try and pry his grip from her wrist. Murray and Bentley hurried over to help.

"Stop struggling! I won't let anyone die on my watch."

She stopped moving and became still.

"That a girl… now use your other hand and…" Sly stopped in midsentence, and thought to himself: _how can such a beautiful face, make such a horrible expression?_ A.C's face contorted into one of pure anger and seething hatred.

"Let. Me. Go," she repeated.

Sly regained his voice. "As I have said already. No. Can. Do."

The sickening sound of electric and Sly's fur stood on end. He stared down and in her free hand; her electric cane sparked its blue glow.

"What are you doing? Now's not the time for that, let me pull you up and then we'll put that to good use by turning it off and putting it away, what do you say?" Sly carefully joked.

A.C swung hard and Sly was forced to let go.

"No!" He screamed as he watched her plummet into the waters below.

**A/N: **Well It's 6:22 am now, I spent a good hour or two to figure out what I wanted to write and, "tadah" here it is. Although probably not the best idea to write a fan fiction chapter while lacking sleep, but what can you do? I was in the mood to do it, and as the saying goes "you cannot control a muse; the muse takes controls of you." Hopefully there aren't too many spelling, grammatical, punctuation errors. I did read it aloud, and revised some of them, but I might have missed some in my current zombie state. Hopefully you all enjoy this chapter, and will look forward to the next one.

Again, if you have the time, please read and review _A Part of You_, a co-write Sly Cooper fan-fiction between ForeverFreelancer and myself. Thank you all so much for keeping up with my story. Take care, good morning, and to ZzzZzzZ I go.


	9. Chapter 9: Overview

**A/N & Disclaimer: **I do not own the rights to any of the characters that are affiliated with _Sucker Punch Productions (2002-05)_, _Nihilistic Software (2011)_, and/or _Sanzaru Games (2012-Present)_. I do however, own their products and highly recommend to those who don't, to please support the creators of the franchise. The portrayal of their characters in this fan fiction is just that, of fiction; they do not in any way reflect the "actual-true fictional storyline" created by the *stated above* developers of the Sly Cooper franchise.

Greetings to my fellow authors, readers, and reviewers; I hope all of you had a wonderful Fourth of July, with no drunken fireworks mishaps. This is _Deags_ here, and I've decided to stop being so lazy and post up the next chapter of _Sly as a Fox_. Also as a reminder, _A Part of You_ is currently in the works. It's a co-write between me and _ForeverFreelancer_ and it revolves around her original character "Tony Fox," Carmelita's Interpol partner. And is currently put on a small hiatus until _ForeverFreelancer_ wraps up her original story _The Fine Line Between Right and Wrong; s_o be sure to keep an eye out for both stories.

I'd like to thank the usual suspects for their reviews: _NinjaxSketcheartx, BananaB0mb, cheesebread222, Why Fireflies Flash, timexgone23, and ForeverFreelancer_. It's always the same line up every chapter; gets me wondering if this story isn't at all popular, and if I should trash it, and move on to another title. But I digress; I wanted to thank you again for keeping up with the story as well as taking the time to review.

With that said and done. Here is chapter nine. Enjoy.

**Chapter Nine:** _Overview_

All Sly could do was watch as she fell from rooftop heights, into the waters below. He continued to stare into the abyss, and the words from his nightmare could be heard: _You killed her… you killed her._

"No!" Sly screamed, bolting straight up in his bed. He spun his head around trying to put together the missing pieces to the puzzle trying to understand his current situation.

"Verda?" No response, only silence.

He did another once over and realized that he was back in the safe house he and the gang established in Athens. He placed his face in the palm of his hands. He sucked in deep breaths between his teeth; he was surprised when he realized that his paws were wet from cold sweat, he was drenched.

After a few more deep breaths, he got up and went to wash up. His body felt out of sync, sluggish, and everything about him was aching. He twisted the knob on the shower, and allowed it to run for a bit; letting it warm up. He looked into the mirror, and couldn't even recognize the face that was staring back at him. He looked as bad as he felt.

His right eye was black and blue although one normally couldn't see it, he felt it; his jaw was sensitive to the touch; his left cheek was swollen trice the size of normal, and his fur was in a garbled mess. The bathroom started to fill with steam and Sly took that as his cue to hop in. He carefully undressed, cringing at the pain from trying to lift his clothing up and over his head.

Sly closed his eyes, and took his place directly underneath the torrential downpour, just letting the hot water rush down from the top of his head, down his abdomen, trickling down his thighs, to his feet, and finally down the drain. The water was at the highest temperature it could go, he felt as if he was cooking himself alive, letting the water soak into his joints, and boiling the tension and fatigue out of his bones.

He was starting to feel better, physically at least. His mind slow to start like an engine during the winter, under the heat of the shower it started to rev up and start. He recalled where he was and how he got there; and what happened after she fell into the Mediterranean.

After watching her fall, Sly got up from his prone position and prepared to jump, and was about to, when big strong arms both flesh and metal grabbed firm.

"Let go! I still have time, if I jump in now I can probably still save her!" he grunted as he twisted and struggled.

"You can't Sly, not in your state. There's no way you've regained full control of your bodily functions yet." Bentley interjected

Sly knew full well that this was true, he'd been electrocuted and shock pistoled enough times to know, that once you get hit by an electrical current, it disables your ability to send and receive signals to and from the brain, to whatever it is you want to control.

Your brain sends electricity signals down a nerve cell, toward the muscles in your body. The electrical signal tells the nerve cell to release a neurotransmitter, a communication chemical, to the muscle cells. This tells the muscles to contract or expand in just the right way to put your action in motion. However, when hit with an electrical current like from A.C's shock cane, it disrupts the signals, making it very difficult to decipher any messages your brain is sending to the rest of your body. You become partially paralyzed, temporarily until your brain can sort out the disruptions; you'll gradually begin to regain control of your bodily functions, but not all at once. It takes time, and Sly just didn't have enough.

"But…" Sly hated how weak he sounded. "I have to do something Bentley."

"You did all you could, there's nothing you can do for her now, all we can do is hope for the best."

Sly sagged and stop resisting.

"Let's go back to the safe house Sly, Penelope is waiting for us in the van, and with the explosions and alarms I set off back at the museum, the police should be arriving shortly." The hippopotamus released his might grip, as he chimed in.

Sly stood silently for a moment and finally nodded. Bentley and Murray stood in an awkward silence, unsure to their companion's train of thought. The sound of sirens, and the flashing lights of the red, white, and blue, usually an iconic symbol hurried towards their position to strip them of just that; freedom.

The three stood unmoving, unsure of what to make of tonight's heist. But after a moment, Sly turned and with his trade mark smirk failing to hide his sorrow simply said: "that's our cue." And the three headed back down into the van.

_That was last night. _

Sly turned the knob all the way to the right which made it squeak, and the water shut off. He dried off with the towel he brought in with him, and walked back over to the mirror. He used his paw to wipe the steam off the glass and was glad to see his handsome face, less deformed than previous.

His thoughts about his exterior appearance fell back into the recesses of his mind, and the vixen known only as "Verda" crept predominantly back into his train of thought. He walked back out into his room rubbing the towel to dry the hair on his head.

"Wow… so that's how you look like naked."

Sly froze in place, his brain ceasing function, he slowly swiveled his head towards the sound of the voice.

"Hi!" The pink mouse said with a big smile, she had a jar of some sort in her hands.

"Uh, hi." Was all Sly could muster up. The single second that went by seemed to last an eternity. Sly brought down his arms and wrapped the towel around his waist.

"Penelope! W…what are you d…doing up this early in the morning?" he stammered trying to regain his composure.

"Well I was working on installing the Antikythera mechanism into the cooper van, when I suddenly heard the sound of water running from your room, so I decided to check up on you. I brought some of the Guru's medicinal concoctions used for treating whatever ails ya, after a big heist like last night's." Penelope explained while putting the jar on the bedside table.

"Oh, thanks. You shouldn't have," Sly sat down on his bed.

"You still seem pretty out of it Sly, why don't I go back downstairs while you get some more rest. The guys will be up in a few hours so if you're up for it, come join us for breakfast."

Sly nodded at the notion, he could use the company of his friends in a time like this. He looked over at the jar and opened it.

"Oh, gees!" Sly pushed it away; the smell from it was horrid.

"Stop being a baby, that stuff works wonders. The Guru went out of his way to gather all the ingredients to make that, so be thankful and put it on all your 'boo-boos.'" Penelope rebuked.

"Boo-boos? Is that the technical term for what I have?" Sly returned with a playful smirk.

Sly reluctantly put a paw in; it was cool to the touch. He smeared a thin layer of it onto the areas that was the sorest, and had to admit it was working… whatever it was, he just wished that it didn't smell so rancid.

"Feeling better?"

"Yeah, you're right, this stuff does work wonders… just too bad it smells like some wild animal's 'business.'"

"That's because it is made from wild animal's business."

"Wait what?"

"Nothing, well I'll be going now, the smell is making my eyes water. Remember to rinse that off in about an hour, don't want it to dry up and harden it's murder on fur."

"Thanks again Penelope." Sly gave her a warm smile.

"No, thank you." She gestured at him.

"Oh… right, sorry about that. I'll get dressed after I rinse this stuff off."

"Don't be sorry." She said as she headed towards the door. "I'm not." She grinned at him, and exited the room.

Sly was once again left alone with his thoughts. He didn't like that, so he grabbed the remote and turned on the television. He flipped through the channels, nothing but Greek shows, obviously, but suddenly perked up when he saw a familiar face.

Standing there being interview was none other than his one and only; Carmelita Montoya Fox.

He immediately pressed the button which increased the volume and listened in, however when she spoke it was dubbed in Greek. Sly groaned and rummaged through his bag. He retrieved an electronic handheld device, that was shaped like a hammer, a rectangular object on top, and a handle that stems below it for holding by the user. It had grooves on the handle so it'd fit comfortably in one's grip, with an eight inch display on top.

Sly fiddled with it, and tried to remember what Bentley told him to do in order to get it to work. His trademark smirk crept up the edge of his mouth when _sampling phonemes now…_ appeared on the screen.

It detected, recorded, and processed the phonetic language as "Greek." Then a small box underneath the highlighted language appeared stating: "Modern Greek derives from the same idiom used by Homer and other famous Greek writers and poets more than three thousand years ago. Greek was the language of the Gospels and has made a major contribution to all western languages."

Sly pictured in his head an arching rainbow in the background and Bentley looking directly into the camera saying: "The more you know."

All of a sudden, the mumble jumbo from the television was now heard in plain American English.

_Things Bentley comes up with…_

"We are here tonight with an agent of the International Police." The jackal news reporter explained, before turning to the red fox. "Inspector Fox, can you explain what happened at the National Archaeological Museum?"

Sly's eyes watched her lips moved, and for a moment forgot to actually _listen_ to what she was saying.

"We believe that there was a break in last night, we are still currently investigating the crime scene; so we cannot divulge any information until we have assessed what is missing and gather up the evidence to narrow down the possible suspects." She answered with the typical "I cannot answer your questions at this moment in time" response.

There was a strobe effect of lights from flashes, and questions being bombarded at her so rapidly and concurrently that the device Sly was holding couldn't translate most of it. The Greeks were one of the most strict when it comes to artifacts, and they were obviously none too pleased at the current situation.

She simply repeated the statement, telling the reporters and the angry citizens of Athens that as soon as they find anything new, they will report it to the media, but for the time being to be patient, and bear with them.

This of course, was not received, and they continue to berate her and bombard her with questions. She sighed, cried out "no more questions!" and stormed off.

Sly watched the news feed for a little while longer, and a sad smile appeared on his face.

_I'm always causing problems for you._ He thought to himself.

He switched off the television, got up, and went into the bathroom to clean up.

**A/N: **Hello all, as you can tell this one is the resolution of the previous adventure, and things have slowed down a bit. I'll be honest with you, I've been wondering if I should even bother continuing this series; I tend to lose interest in a project shortly after I start it, blame it on my ADD/OCD-like personality where I tend to want to start things over from scratch. Anyway, this is like in any story, necessary to slow things down after the climax to set up the next parabolic story structure. I have to admit this was pretty forced, so it might not be up to par. I struggled and I had to push myself to complete it. Hopefully you enjoyed it anyway.


	10. Chapter 10: Operation: Redemption

**A/N & Disclaimer: **I do not own the rights to any of the characters that are affiliated with _Sucker Punch Productions (2002-05)_, _Nihilistic Software (2011)_, and/or _Sanzaru Games (2012-Present)_. I do however, own their products and highly recommend to those who don't, to please support the creators of the franchise. The portrayal of their characters in this fan fiction is just that, of fiction; they do not in any way reflect the "actual-true fictional storyline" created by the *stated above* developers of the Sly Cooper franchise.

To **NinjaxSketchereartx – **I would first like to thank you for your constant and almost instant reviews, it's amazing to post a chapter and come back a half an hour later to see the "reviews" number go up by one; I just expect and assume it's by you. I also believe that you're selling yourself short, as do most people who are harsher on their own works than on others. I appreciate your support and excitement towards my series, and will try and not let this series come to an abrupt premature end.

To **cheesebread222 – **Thank you, the Penelope/Sly dialogue was enjoyable to write, and I'm glad that you found it in a similar manner upon reading it. I'll surely do my best to keep the series going, I would like to blame it on real life problems, but it's more of an issue succumbing to the cardinal sin of sloth. I'm by far the laziest person I know, and I'll surely try and work on that issue so that I won't leave any questions you might come up with; and answer the ones you have in due time as the story progresses.

To **BananaB0mb –** I'm glad that you found the Penelope/Sly dialogue so entertaining, as I did have fun writing it. I felt it was needed seeing as how my latest chapters were all drama and seriousness, so I thought I'd change it up a little. It would have been interesting to put A.C as the one who walked in on him, but she's currently missing as you may well know. I'll see what I can do about curing myself of my laziness and lack of professionalism, to keep this series going. By my estimation there should be at least another five chapters before it even nears the conclusion, so… yeah lots more to come. (I honestly don't know how this story will turn out myself; I just type it out and go "oh hey, this is a good idea for the next chapter.")

To **timexgone23 – **Well what is there to say to you, I'm sure you know very well my stance on you. It's all positive and for someone of your caliber with nearly 100 reviews and able to type out Brobdingnagian manuscript of pages for a single chapter is astonishing, and to receive a positive review from you is just top notch. I appreciate the personal message in order to bolster my spirits and recommending me to swap in between series to keep it fresh and entertaining; as I am doing just that with my co-write with ForeverFreelancer on her original character spin-off: _A Part of You_. I'm glad that you enjoyed my previous chapter, as it was a sudden shift from the mundane drama and action scenes I'm sure everyone has gotten bored of reading by now. Similarly to all my posters (this is a repeating response) I'll do my best to keep this series going, it's [maybe] half way done, as I'm not sure how this series will turn out to be honest, I just open my word document and smack away at the keys until a concise chapter appears before me. In summary, I thank you for your review.

To **Why Fireflies Flash – **I'm ecstatic to receive a review from the highly sought and praised W.F.F. timexgone23, as well as my co-author ForeverFreelancer raves about you through personal messages and instant messaging sessions, therefore I am greatly humbled at your positive reviews. I'm glad you enjoyed it, and it was truly indeed forced, as I was just going "Ugh, a page left to reach my usual chapter length" *smacks keyboard* I'm also glad that you enjoyed the dialogue interaction between Sly and Penelope, I had fun writing it. And with that said and done I'd also like to promise to you that I'll do my best to keep the series running.

I'd like to thank you all, the five and occasional six of you *shakes fist at FF for forgetting to review* that are always kind enough to leave a review, let alone the usual positive review, you must understand how happy I am that this series is well received by peers such as yourselves and also Sly Cooper fanatics much like myself; it just means I'm doing something right…. Right? I decided to thank my reviewers personally as all of you have supported my decision of possibly ending the series, but still letting me know it would be a shame to do so… so **thank you** once again and, as per usual. "With that said and done. Here is chapter ten. Enjoy"

**Chapter Ten:** _Operation: Redemption_

"No more questions! She shouted into the cameras.

Carmelita then turned, and pushed her way through the throng of reporters barraging her with just that… questions. She tried her best to look neutral, and sell the whole _not until further notice_ line, but it was difficult to do when every step she took, blinding white lights flashed from every direction.

She squinted and brought her hands up to shield her eyes, even with them closed, tiny lights, like little stars on a black canvas could be seen.

"She already said no more questions!" A booming voice called out from behind. The reporters fell into hushed murmurs as they, and even Carmelita turned to face it. Standing there, where Carmelita had been herself moments ago, was a male red fox.

Everything about him screamed _look at me_; from the groomed spiked up hair on his head, probably to look like the action star Brad Pitbull in his latest movie, "Mr. & Mrs. Wolf." He was ruggedly handsome, his physique while muscular, was more toned than heavy weight lifter. He was wearing a brown jacket with jeans, and work boots. The most distracting thing however, was his badge.

_It's new._ Carmelita noticed. The badge illuminated and reflected the light from the cameras; it still had the luster that her own badge used to have, now dimmed and dulled as the years went by, crediting her years of experience from the rookie she once was, into the full-fledged inspector she now is. She recollected on the time when she first received it. It was her badge of honor, as she was sure it was the same for him. That cock-sure attitude of his was proof enough.

"I'd like all of us to act civilized here; inspector Carmelita Montoya Fox has already put her best men on the job, so you can be certain that we, at Interpol, will have some answers for all of you soon. However! With that said…" he paused for dramatic effect. _What a showman._

"I would like for all of you to allow the inspector to rest, as she's been here at this very crime scene…" he made big gestures with his hands as he pointed down to show everyone where "here" is. "For the last twenty of her twenty four hours that she's been in your beautiful and lovely country. She's been _here_."

For an impromptu act, it was very impressive. In the forty five seconds that he began speaking; all attention was focused on him. His looks, how he presented himself, his idiosyncrasies with using his body language to express his emotions and statements, his blunt way of speaking – directed to the audience and not at them – all of it, was an act to take the pressure off of her.

It was so good and grandiose in fact, that Carmelita herself was caught up in it. She almost missed the slight and subtle "shoo" motion he gave to her, as a cue to "hurry up and leave while she still could." She nodded at him and mouthed the words "thank you," and was greeted with a brief warm smile that disappeared as quick as it had appeared, and his act continued.

"My name is Tony! I am a junior agent at Interpol here to take your questions." The hushed reporters that kept quiet all this time, at his cue, started shouting questions at him, as if their favorite actor from the show they were watching broke the fourth wall and interacted with his audience.

Carmelita made her way through the reporters and when she reached the other side; she took in a deep breath. She turned her head and stared at the backs of the reporters all jumping and clamoring about to get statements.

"Carm! Carmelita! This way!" she heard a familiar voice; she looked around and saw a small figure flailing its arms in the air. She quickly rushed over.

"Winthorp, what took you so long?" She asked, and with a quick nod of her head they both got into her squad car. She readjusted her mirrors and her seat, as he was a good foot shorter than she was. She placed her key into the ignition, the engine roared to life, and she drove off.

"Who was that back there? The one showboating," she inquired.

"Um…" Winthorp rifled through the roster list he had received from Barkley prior to this assignment.

"Found it, here it is." He handed her the file.

She shot him her trademark dagger-like glare.

"Oh… right…the whole driving thing." He said sheepishly.

"His name is Tony Fox, he recently joined Interpol. Let's see here… his resume although not the best is still rather impressive. He was an officer of the law in his hometown, he was scouted for the Federal Bureau of Investigation after a big cartel bust while working in the United States, and from there he moved into the international sector and applied for a position at the Central Intelligence Agency, worked for them for about a year or two before transferring to Interpol; his grades while in training were in the top ten percentile.

Carmelita nodded along and compared notes on how he presented himself earlier that evening with the roster breakdown Winthorp was reading out. He obviously enjoyed the authority, power, and respect that came with the badge; but from the looks of it, he was also level headed enough to tackle and understood the responsibility that came along with it.

_He has potential to do well in our line of work._ She now added to the notes in her head.

They continued the rest of the drive in silence; it wasn't long before they were back at the hotel the agency was nice enough to accommodate, even after her "incident" in Paris. This was a chance to redeem herself for her blunder in the Louvre. It wasn't part of the five star coalitions, but it was still a beautiful place. As is all of Athens; it's a shame that lately the economy has led to riots and unruly behavior, resulting in an atmosphere newly balanced between anxiety and determination, but in its eternal, essential energy, Athens is immutable.

They rode the elevator up to their floor, stepped off, and walked to their respective doors. Carmelita in 801, and Winthorp in the next room, 802; they both slid their digital keycards into the readers, it lit up green, and the words "access granted" scrolled upwards on the small screen.

"G…good night Carmelita, if you need anything, feel free to knock on my door anytime... e...even if it's just to talk."

She gave him a warm smile. "I might just take you up on that offer."

His natural purple skin tone, reddened and he opened his mouth but no words came out of it.

"But not tonight, we're both tired and in need of some rest. I mean look at you, you can't even stop yourself from yawning. Buenas noches Winthorp."

"W…wait! I'm not yawning, I just…!"

But it was too late; Carmelita already went inside her room and the _click_ of her door shutting behind her. He put his face in his hands and he was now red for a whole different reason. He gently banged his head on his door a few times and with a deep sigh, finally went inside.

After Carmelita closed her door, she slid the digital keycard into the reader on her side to lock it. _Slowly phasing out physical locks and replacing them with digital ones, Sly is going to have a difficult time in a few years' time… _she couldn't help but smile at the thought. But it quickly dissolved into a pang in her heart, and it showed on her face. She still couldn't believe what she saw the night before, being broadcasted on international television; it was repeating images of a large hippo fleeing the scene of the crime, with what looked like an unconscious raccoon in his arms.

At first she didn't want to believe it, maybe the saying "history repeats itself" was true, once a thief always a thief. But in the time she spent with him, she knew. She knew that his amnesia was some silly little lie of his, just so that they could be together. She knew that Sly understood that as long as they were on different sides of the law there would never be an opportunity for them to be together. So he went ahead with that ridiculous ruse for them to become a couple.

Although she knew this… she decided to go along with it. It was comforting to know that she didn't have to traipse around the globe to try and capture him, only for him to escape in some last minute escape plan. It was also comforting to know where he was, instead of him randomly popping up anywhere there was a crime involving something being stolen. But most importantly… the most important thing was that she was happy; truly happy that she could finally be with Sly.

She took a coat hanger from the closet and hung up her uniform jacket and placed her holster along with her shock pistol into the room's safe. She moved from the entranceway and further into her room. She looked over to the left and saw the soft queens sized bed beckoning her over, with its satin sheets with its ridiculously high thread count. The pillows filled with the softest of goose feathers, oh how she wished she could just do a face plant into it all; but first thing is first. She needed to wash away the troubles of the day.

She grabbed a change of clothes and walked into her bathroom, she was here when they first checked in, and she still couldn't believe the sight of it. Everything was of white marble and granite, it was the epitome of class; and she loved every second of it. She drew herself a hot bath, removed her clothing and tossed it into the hamper in the corner. She looked into the mirror, and saw that she had bags under her eyes. She took her hands and massaged them a little to alleviate the tiredness. She looked back into the mirror, and recalled the events that led her to come to Athens.

_The Night before…_

"Embark on a captivating journey back to the cradle of Western culture!" The television blared. "Find yourself in the heart of glorious Athens, the city worshipped by gods and people. Take a stroll among the majestic marble columns of the Acropolis sparkling under the bright sun of Attica. Get a glimpse of the magnificent Parthenon, an enduring symbol of Ancient Greece. Enjoy the splendor of Athens by day and night with its inspiring landscapes and architectural masterpieces…" The television commercial went on in the background as she continued to file paperwork.

She sat at her newly assigned desk, flipping through manila folder after manila folder. The sound of shuffling papers, and _ca-chunk,_ the sound of a big metal-framed ink-stamp being applied on said papers. Manila folder, shuffling of papers, _ca-chunk_, manila folder, shuffling of papers, _ca-chunk_, manila folder, shuffling of papers, _ca-chunk_, folder, papers, _ca…_ _chunk._ She sighed out loud and placed her head on the desk.

"What did I do to deserve this?" she muttered to herself.

There came a knock at her office door. She looked up; to her surprise standing in the doorway with his silly orange crew cut hair, his large oversized red clip-on bowtie, white shirt, green pants, and suspenders, was none other than her executive assistant, Winthorp. In his hands were a plastic bag, and a tray of four _venti_ coffees in the other. How he ever became an Interpol agent she'll never know, but he does his job well, and that's all that mattered.

"H…hey Carmelita, I brought you some refreshments." He scurried over and placed the bag and coffee on the desk.

Carmelita turned her head and looked out the window and couldn't see a thing outside; it was already pitch black. She then glanced over at the clock on the wall, and noticed that it was eleven fifteen in the evening.

"What are you doing here Winthorp? Your shift ended hours ago." Her words didn't match her actions as she grabbed a _venti_ and quickly took a swig of it.

"W…well I…" he stammered.

Winthrop nervously tried to find the words as Carmelita continued to stare at him, with her… beautiful brown eyes, and her lush full lips. They're just so…

"Winthorp!" she yelled.

"Ah! I mean, yes?" he screamed as he snapped back to reality.

There were some stifled laughs from outside the office door, as a few other agents of Interpol who were also unlucky enough to get the midnight graveyard shift walked by. Winthorp blushed a bright crimson.

Carmelita's executive assistant, detective Winthorp has a crush on her that is hard to miss. Unfortunately for Winthorp, Carmelita's preoccupation with her work prevents her from noticing his innocent affections. To top it off, the dweeby, out-of-shape Otter that he is, Winthorp couldn't possibly compete with the charming, athletic force that is Sly Cooper. He would have to be as blind as Carmelita to not see their connection to one another; they were exclusive and the hot topic at the water coolers when Sly was working as a constable for Interpol.

"What are you still doing here? It's already late." Carmelita repeated herself.

He desperately racked his brain for a response; he looked around the room and finally laid his eyes on the folders on the desk.

"Well… I heard what Barkley did to you, and I couldn't let you suffer through this all on your own; so I made an 'executive' decision to tough this out with you."

Carmelita couldn't help but laugh at this.

"I…Is that so bad that you're laughing at me?" He pouted.

"Not at all, actually I was laughing at how cute you were. It's your genuine honesty that makes you, well… you." she gave him a smile that would warm the hearts of any cold-hearted villain.

"C…c….cute?" Winthorp became like a tomato.

"You okay? You seem a little red." She asked worriedly.

"Oh, no! It's just that the coffee is too hot, careful, don't burn your tongue." He started blowing on his drink. Mentally kicking himself, at how silly he must look.

Winthorp proceeded to grab a stack of folders and tried to draw them closer. But Carmelita placed a delicate hand atop of them, and shook her head.

"I appreciate it Winthorp, honestly I do. But this is my cross to bear, not yours."

"Your burdens are my burdens." He said with surprising sternness. "Besides, I'm already here; don't let my efforts go to waste."

Carmelita saw the look in his eye that said "I'm not going to leave even if you threw me out of here." So she relented, took her hand away, and gave him the universal gesture of "do as you like."

"You're a nice guy Winthorp." She said it with no sarcasm.

"You know what they say about nice guys…" He responded full of sarcasm, which went unnoticed by Carmelita.

They continued to burn the midnight oil, until a loud and obnoxious voice could be heard screaming out their names.

"CARMELITA! WINTHROP! WHERE IN THE BLAZES ARE YOU TWO?"

They both stopped working.

"Don't move, don't make a sound… don't even breathe. Maybe if we remain perfectly still it won't see us." Carmelita said under her breath.

The creature continued to stroll down the corridors and pathways, screaming out their names. Its footsteps getting ever closer to their position, getting angrier by the second it would seem.

"CARMELITA! WINTHORP! ANSWER ME ALREADY!"

The sound of its footsteps stomping, getting closer, closer… Winthorp was sweating, and was involuntarily shaking in his seat.

"I'M GIVING YOU TO THE COUNT OF THREE! ONE… TWO… TH…."

"We're in here!" the otter shouted, pending a nervous breakdown.

Carmelita placed her face in the palm of her hand and sighed.

"Darn it Winthrop!"

"S…sorry…"

Before Carmelita could rebuke her terrified _ex_-executive assistant, Barkley stormed into the office.

"I've been looking everywhere for you two…" He said with a scowl on his face.

"Chief Barkley, what a pleasant surprise. What brings you here at this time of night? If you wanted to meet us, you should have simply sent for us; we would have gone to see you in your office." Carmelita answered to downplay her possible demotion.

"Did you watch the news?" He responded sidestepping the question.

"No, I haven't… why?"

Barkley walked over and changed the channel to PNN or Principal News Network. There was a male jackal addressing the camera, and pointing to let the public know that something news worthy happened in the building behind him. It looked like a museum of some sort.

_Oh…no…_

Barkley turned up the volume.

"We are reporting live, confirming the reports of a break in earlier this evening at the Archeological Museum of Athens."

The screen switched over to a grainy video footage, caught by security cameras on the exterior walls of the building. It showed a large pink hippopotamus carrying something that resembled a staff and crook, and something else with it, an unmoving figure.

"It would seem that the scoundrels have made away with the Antikythera mechanism that was displayed here for the duration of the week. We are uncertain to the reasons behind the theft, but be on the lookout for this fiend wearing red gloves and mask…"

Carmelita sat back in her chair; a dazed look appeared on her face. Her eyes rapidly moved side to side, indicating the digestion of information. She looked up, and was shocked to see Barkley staring at her with cold, but sorrow filled eyes. He was conflicted, she knew that Barkley… no, she knew that everyone knew of her relationship with Sly, and how this must be something that could very well damage her emotionally and psychologically. But Barkley had a job to do, and that was to bring criminals into justice. She just wished he didn't have that look of pity when he gazed upon her.

"Carmelita… I didn't want you to find out about this, but this is something that you were going to find out about sooner or later."

The only thing she did to acknowledge him was nod.

"I've already assigned Agents Guthrie, Sanchez, and their junior partners Fox and Mccloud on the case."

"…too."

"What was that?" Barkley wasn't sure he heard something just then.

"Send me too." Carmelita answered louder.

The usual stern look appeared on his face.

"Assign Winthorp and myself on this case." An unyielding look on her face as well.

They both stared at each other for a minute, not saying a word. Winthorp nervously biting at his nails, shifting his eyes left and right, unsure how this will turn out and who would relent first.

Barkley sighed. "Join up with the other agents at 'oh-six hundred,' that doesn't give you much time to pack."

A smile crossed her face. "Does that mean…?"

"Get on out of here before I change my mind."

She quickly grabbed her things and gave a nod to Winthorp, signaling him to go with her.

"Carmelita, I'll only say this once…"

She stopped at the doorway.

"This is your only chance at redemption; I'm giving you this one chance in order to redeem yourself. If you screw this one up, you'll be coming back to a mountain of paper work that needs filing when you get back."

Carmelita grimaced at that aspect and nodded.

"Oh… and one more thing…"

Curious, she looked back at her old mentor.

"Be careful."

She smiled at that and walked out of the room.

Barkley sighed. "I'm getting too soft in my old age…" He looked at the stack of unfinished paperwork on Carmelita's desk.

"JOHNSON! GET IN HERE!"

A retriever quickly rushed into the office.

"Y…yes sir, Barkley sir?"

"Finish up all this paperwork won't you Johnson?"

He glanced over at the desk; a mound of unfinished work piled high loomed in the distance.

"B...but..."

Barkley picked up something off of the desk and strolled over to him. Dropped it in his hands, it was a heavy metallic stamper.

"You'll need this. I expect you to be finished before the sun rises… OR ELSE YOU'RE FIRED!"

"Y…YES SIR!" he screamed and rushed over to tackle the work set before him.

Barkley nodded at the act, and walked out of the room returning back to his office.

_I'm getting too soft in my old age…_ he repeated.

_Back to the present…_

Carmelita gingerly put her foot in, winced at the burning sensation, and quickly removed it. She tilted her head, and gave it a few more tries. After unsuccessful attempt after unsuccessful attempt, she finally gave in, and turned on the faucet for the cold water.

She finally got her body into the water and like the children's story, "It was just right."_ Never understood how Sly could do it… I mean I get it, but it's just too much to put my foot in, let alone soaking in it for a half an hour…_

Another pang of the heart, no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't get the image of Sly in Murray's arms, unconscious and possibly seriously hurt. She hoped that it was just her imagining the worst case scenario, and wished for Sly and the gang's safety.

"Ha, 'and the gang…'" she laughed to herself. In all the years that they've danced the Lambada that is their forbidden dance, she's delved into Sly's world a few times, and has personally gotten to know his crew, although they didn't meet in the best of situations, but friendly enough. She had developed a soft spot for those who Sly held most dearly in his heart.

"Sly…" she whispered, the sound of her own voice calling out his name echoed, and she couldn't help but hear how lonely it sounded. She started to tear up, but with a quick flourish, she splashed some water on her face. She wouldn't let herself get caught up in all of this, she was going to find Sly and confront him about what was going on.

But could she really arrest him? After all they've been through? He is still a constable of Interpol… and it doesn't seem like anyone besides her or Barkley knew the true identity of the pink hippo, let alone be able to make out what he was carrying in his arms from that horrible resolution footage. Maybe it was a huge miss understanding?

Oh how she wished that were true. But that's a matter for another time; she'll deal with it when she gets to it. _One step at a time…_

She soaked for another ten minutes before getting out. She felt refreshed after her near crying incident, and was glad that Sly wasn't there to see her in a moment of weakness; she'd never live it down. He always did have a knack of bringing out a variety of emotions that she was certain she kept locked up, as well as throwing away the key. But Sly was a thief after all, an extremely good one at that. Over the years, he managed to slowly pry open and break into that safe, get a glimpse of what was inside, and stole the most precious thing of value inside; her heart.

She dried herself off with her towel, dressed, and put on one of the complementary bathrobes the hotel room had to offer. She stepped out of her bathroom and back into her bedroom, but something was amiss.

She couldn't tell what it was, but stood in place and scanned around the room. She took a step further in, when suddenly… _Slosh_

Puzzled, she looked down to find that, part of the carpet she was stepping on was wet. She smelled something, something… salty? Acknowledging that things have suddenly gone from bad to worse, she quickly spun around only to have a cane positioned underneath her neck. Her eyes wide, followed the weapon from its crook, to the shaft, to the paw that was holding it, to the arm that the paw belong to, then finally, ultimately seeing the being in its entirety.

"A.C…" she growled.

"C.M.F" she responded in a playful manner.

Carmelita did a once over, and saw that she was soaked from head to toe. Liquid dripping off of her clothes, her hair, practically every tip of her, she was breathing hard and shivering as well.

"Enjoyed a moonlit swim did you?"

This caused A.C to laugh. "That I did inspector, in the Mediterranean sea as a matter of fact. Cold as a witches teat at this time of night, wouldn't recommend it."

"What do you want?" Carmelita asked, no joy left in her voice.

A.C smirked that arrogant smirk.

"I need your help."

"Help? Me? Help you? That's a laugh." And she did just that.

A.C's breathing was starting to sound abnormal, more so than before. Carmelita tried to bide her time until an opening appeared.

"Yes, it's exactly how it is. You're going to help… me…" She staggered a little.

Carmelita took the chance to twist the cane and shove A.C to the wall, she was taller than A.C was, and in obvious better health. She was overpowering her, and was about to disarm the criminal when suddenly the crook began to spark, literally _sparked_. Electricity surged from the crook cause Carmelita to become alarmed and retreat. She backed away from it and her legs bumped into the bed.

A.C regained her footing and turned off the electricity.

"I don't want to hurt you; I'm just here to seek your help. We can do this the easy way, or the…"

Carmelita made a quick grab for the sheets and threw it midsentence and made a dash for the entrance.

A.C with a swift strike split the bed sheet in two.

"Hard it is then…" and chased after her.

Carmelita scrambled to her safe and punched in the code. But when she opened it, it was empty.

"Looking for this?"

She turned and saw that her shock pistol was in A.C's hand

_But how?_

"Looks like I have all the cards now. Figuratively and quite literally, as I also have your key card. You won't be leaving here without my permission."

Carmelita stood, and glared at her.

"Look, if it makes you feel any better. Here."

A.C did the most irresponsible thing; she tossed Carmelita her shock pistol.

"Better?"

Carmelita confused, not letting her line of sight leave A.C, powered up the shock pistol and pointed it at her.

"What are you doing here?" She asked cold as ice.

A.C shrugged. "As I've said, I need your help."

"And why should I, or _would_ I help you?"

The smirk returned. "Because if you help me… I can give you something you desperately want."

Carmelita scoffed at the absurdity of the idea that she actually had anything she wanted, but played along anyway.

"And that would be?"

"The Mona Lisa…" A.C answered, but pinged back no response from Carmelita.

"Oh, and Sly Cooper…"

Now this elicited a response from Carmelita, resulting in lowering of her weapon, all the while, the smirk never leaving A.C's face.

**A/N: **And there you have it. The conclusion of chapter ten entitled: _Redemption_. As you may have noticed, it's much longer than any of my previous chapters. Two and a half times longer to be precise; this is because I felt bad that I've cause all of you (my readers and reviewers) to wait so long for my latest release, so as a form of apology this was the best I could do.

Again I'd to thank the usual suspects who take time to review this series, and to let you know that all my readers, followers, and to those who have added me to "favorites," that I appreciate you just as much as you appreciate me, maybe more so. For if it wasn't for you lot, there wouldn't be a need or push to bother writing this chapter, let alone this series. So yeah, I'd like to thank you all for your constant support and acknowledgement.

I hope you all enjoyed reading this, as I had writing this… though don't expect this amount too often next time as I won't be making it a habit of divulging so much information and events in one chapter. Suspense and cliffhangers are what makes things interesting. Although I will say this, being much longer than my usual pieces, errors and mistakes are more likely to appear, as it might have slipped under my radar while revising, bear with me.

Until next time. – J.L


	11. Chapter 11: Perfection has a name

**A/N & Disclaimer: **I do not own the rights to any of the characters that are affiliated with _Sucker Punch Productions (2002-05)_, _Nihilistic Software (2011)_, and/or _Sanzaru Games (2012-Present)_. I do however, own their products and highly recommend to those who don't, to please support the creators of the franchise. The portrayal of their characters in this fan fiction is just that, of fiction; they do not in any way reflect the "actual-true fictional storyline" created by the *stated above* developers of the Sly Cooper franchise.

To **NinjaxSketcheartx – **Indeed writers are usually harder on themselves. I'm sure if you ask just about anybody, they'll say the same. About, how their writing is lacking something, even when they receive nothing but praise. "There is a common belief that because most of us are literate and fluent, there is no need to serve an apprenticeship if we want to become a successful wordsmith… just because I had read plenty of novels didn't mean I could write one, any more than I could make a chair because I had sat on enough of them." – Nigel Watts.

Yes A.C is a mysterious figure, and I intend for her to stay that way. To be honest in the last couple of weeks as you may know, ForeverFreelancer and I, have teamed up to form a co-write _A Part of You_, and I felt that giving her pointers and examples of how Tony Fox acts, talks, looks, feels, breathes… I felt connected to him, even though he wasn't one of my original characters. I asked for permission from FF, to allow me to give him a cameo appearance which she wholeheartedly agreed in letting me do so.

I'm glad that you enjoyed Winthorp's appearance, as not many fans know about him due to the fact that they were unaware of a Sly Cooper comic. Poor fellow, I think I was rather harsh in my ways of addressing his crush on Carmelita… and you should whenever you get the chance. Greece is a beautiful place to visit, and I'd recommend it. It's a place filled to the brim with history, and if you're into all of that, you're definitely going to love the atmosphere there. Thanks you again for reading and reviewing my chapter, it's always a pleasure to hear what you have to say.

To **BananaB0mb – **"Another wonderful review!" Thank you as always for the positive upbeat review. I'm glad that you find the filler backstory interesting to keep on reading my work. I've been strongly influenced by the Greek Epics like Homer and Virgil, where they start the story _in medias res_ or the "in the middle of things" and use flashbacks and third parties that tells the reader and the uninvolved protagonists, past events to make the story into a more rounded and complete tale.

I'll have to see about Tony returning, it was more of a slight, "present" I guess you could say to my co-author, ForeverFreelancer. She's been racking her brain as of lately to try and complete her own fan fiction _The Fine Line…_ series, which I believe was worth it if you've read the Mélange "end game" boss fight. I tried to make him the best he could be, the type of "Tony" she wanted him to be, and I'm glad I received such positive reviews from people about his personality and character, thank you for that.

Well that's what I do best, I write things that create "shock and awe," from my readers to get them hooked, and any other potential readers and reviewers. A.C reappearing after a night in the waters does provoke a lot of questions and emotions, creating exactly just that… "Where will this all go?" sensation. Thank you for enjoying the Winthorp and Carmelita scene, as it was enjoyable to write; and thank you as always for the review.

To **Guest – **I'm going to assume this is cheesebread222, because, well… you're part of the only six people who read and review my work; if this isn't, I do apologize for my assumption. I'm glad you saw the names, I literally just played and beat my old time high scores on my Nintendo 64, and that name just stuck in my mind while I was writing. Yes things are starting back up again, I think two chapters of calm and conclusions are long enough to set up the next parabolic arc of adventure. Tony again, is iffy if he'll be returning, as he is not one of my original creations it was more of a "hat tip" to my good friend ForeverFreelancer. I look forward to your future reviews to my future chapters, it's always appreciated that you're naturally assuming it'll be a good chapter. Thank you.

To **Timexgone23 – **I thank you for somehow convincing yourself that it was an awesome chapter, funny how the human mind plays trick on ourselves huh? And you're right; it wouldn't be true to form, if I didn't spontaneously create A.C from out of thin air.

But enough bashing of my own work, I do honestly appreciate your review, and I'm especially glad that you like A.C, *Whispers* "I like her also." And it seems that you do know the very often coined phrase "less is more." But think about it logically, if "less is more" than just think, how much more "more" will be! And _that's_ totally okay!

You were indeed helpful, as I finally forced myself to read and revise the darn chapter, and upload it… and then select my story…then select add chapter… then scroll down to the chapter I want to be that chapter… it was a lot of work and pain you put me through, and I do not appreciate it my dear. *shakes fist* joking of course.

As always, I hope that you keep reviewing my works in the future, your words of praise are wasted on me, as I am humbled by them.

To **ForeverFreelancer – **Well Tony is a creation of your mind, and I thought it'd be best to somewhat conform with the storyline that I created for _A Part of You_, about his placement in Interpol and how he eventually became Carmelita's partner, of course this is just a cameo for you to make you happy.

Well you're now absolved from your previous negligence of not reviewing my work, and don't you take that tone with me missy! I give you a thorough review upon reading it, why would I want to go and repeat myself in the review logs?

I'm glad you liked the fluff, as you well know it's not my forte. And you know what they say, opposites attract, which is why I enjoy your writing and you enjoy mine; really living up to the stereotype. We both enjoy how and what we write and there is little that could be done about it. I'm glad you're keeping up with my chapters, and you'll just have to sit and wait, until I type out another one of these chapters to see what happens with A.C. Thank you as always for your reviews, whenever you do write one that is.

***Updated* 8/3/12 **

To **case mckinley – **Welcome back! It's been awhile since your last review, so the first thing that I want to address is, where've you been!? But joking aside, I'm glad that I am in fact still holding the interest of reviewers from the first chapter and thank you for enjoying the fight scene between A.C and Sly in chapter four. I hope I didn't keep you up too late and screwed up your sleep schedule because of it. It's been posted online; you can always come back to it at any time, so no need to read all in one go.

I'm glad you liked the cameo of Tony Fox, as did most of the people who reviewed my work. I'm glad he was well-liked and accepted, as you and others have stated, it's not my original character. There was a lot of pressure on me to be able to present him as, well… as ForeverFreelancer put it after reading chapter ten: "AWESOME!" So yes, I'm glad that he was well received. *metaphoric hat tip* to you sir or madam for knowing what "The sword of Damocles" is, as not many people do, and was worried if it went over most people's heads upon reading it. Hopefully it had provoked people to do a simple Google search as I hope to educate as well as entertain in everything that I do.

I believe I have addressed everything in your review, and I'd like to offer my thanks to you for your review. Thank you.

To **Guest #2 – **You're too kind. I have made attempts at writing full length novels, but… let's just say personal bouts with American stigmas such as laziness, procrastination, and forms of A.D.D and O.C.D prevented me in completing any of them. I have released a transcription and my take on the classic story of "Beowulf" that I have already uploaded on this site. It is rather dense, but from my… well only reviewer, she thoroughly enjoyed the entire thing, and even read it all in one sitting. It chronicles from the very beginning of Beowulf's journey up until the part with the Harbinger.

But more so to your review, I am currently writing a full length novel that is of pulp fiction genre, as I've taken interest lately in contemporary authors such as James Patterson, Dan Brown, Barry Eisler, Dereck Langley, etc. So I thank you for your humbling review of my work.

**Important Side Note: **I am thinking of writing another Sly Cooper fan fiction, however, it will be more leaning towards "mature" rating (but will be placed with a T rating as teenagers are exposed to all of this already) for there will be vulgar language (tastefully dashed here and there in appropriate situations, not just going to randomly drop "f-bombs" for no reason.), depiction, descriptions, and intimate interactions of sex between characters (again, will be tastefully done), and a much darker setting than the normal Sly Cooper universe. There will be death, there will be anger, angst, and revenge (told you I was influenced by Homer and Virgil).

So I recommend those who like the work I've been doing with this one, and prefer that the story that they choose to read about Sly Cooper be more in line with Sucker Punch Productions, to refrain from reading it.

I believe that's all I have to say regarding responding back to my lovely readers and reviewers (all of you), and mentioned my new upcoming work… With that said and done… here is chapter eleven. Enjoy.

**Chapter Eleven:**_ Perfection, Thy name is Guthrie_

"We're sooooo going to get fired for this!" the otter whined from the corner of the room, to the annoyance of everyone else in it.

Carmelita while silent couldn't exactly disagree with her assistant's unhelpful outburst that aptly summarized the unfavorable situation. She kept replaying the scene that led to this moment in time, and still cannot figure out for the life of her why she didn't just simply pull the trigger, and later interrogate A.C in a more favorable position. All she could do now was accept her decisions and roll with it. Sly had once said to her when she was in a moment of regret: _Not everything that we do in our past will be looked favorably in the present, but it is how we deal with them, and use the future to better ourselves, to prevent those same regrettable situations from reoccurring, is what defines us._

The scene that replayed in her head was so clear and vivid that she swore she could still hear the battery humming from her shock pistol, indicating that it was charged and ready to fire. She flexed her fingers a little, trying to shake the sense of the shock pistol vibrating in her hands, and the itch of her trigger finger.

_I can give you something you desperately want… Sly Cooper…_ those words continued to stir up emotions, even though she heard them a little over a half an hour ago. Carmelita was starting to lose her composure, she wanted to get out of that room, pressure was building up like in a champagne bottle and she desperately wanted to pop its cork. She wanted to scream, but right before she completely lost it, there was a knock at the door.

Carmelita glanced over to Winthorp, a nervous wreck in his own right, and nodded at him. Winthorp walked to the door and answered. There was a brief exchange of words and he soon returned with a male Border collie walking in closely behind him. The male collie stood at attention and gave Carmelita a salute. Upon receiving a nod in recognition of his greeting, he continued with what he was tasked to do this evening.

Sargent Marcel "Marceau" Guthrie was the "go-to" medic of their detachment, to be separate from the agents at all times and only to be called into action in cases of emergency. The reason for this was because of security. Agents with medical backgrounds were vital for obvious reasons, as there were risks whenever someone in the security sector was dispatched for a mission. It was mandatory that they were never seen associating themselves with fellow agents, and are rarely ever called to be on the front lines in the line of fire. This will allow medics with little to no combat training to remain incognito without becoming a liability to the agency or their fellow agents in the field, all the while still being an asset to the team.

Even though this wasn't their first time working together, little was known about the collie. Carmelita read over his file as well as the other agents that she'll be partnering up with, as she normally does prior to any and all assigned missions. He was ten years her senior, and had seen action in various contested territories while serving for his country. He was ruggedly handsome with a strong jaw, soft features, and almond shaped eyes with a symmetrical face. He had bicolored fur, black on the back with a white underlining that went from his neck down in the front, hazel colored eyes that stood out, and had a toned body that showed years of training and athleticisms. He was known as the "best kept secret" with the ladies back at French headquarters, defining the "tall, dark, and handsome" fantasy, an avid listener, and to top it all off, he was the "strong silent type" that gave him an air of mystery.

He had earned the nickname "Marceau" partially because his first name was the same as the character played by Mel Creeks in the 1976 satirical comedy film "Quiet Movie." But he officially earned that moniker while in the service. For Guthrie's first mission, he was deployed as his platoon's medic, to rescue hostages from their captors. But while en route, his platoon of six was ambushed by enemy insurgents; he and his platoon leader were separated from the rest of their platoon. They were pinned down for three days, until finally; reinforcement arrived and made a push into the city. They managed to rescue the hostages and liberate the city from their captor's tyrannical rule, and during the debriefing, his platoon leader explained that for the seventy-two hours:

"We were ragged, hungry, on edge from paranoia, and running low on resources, and rations… Guthrie never once uttered a single word."

When asked by officials if he was traumatized or if he regretted his choice of serving in the arm forces for his country, he looked at them in the eye and simply replied:

"_Non._"

It wasn't just because of his silent nature; it was something about him that shouted in opposition to his quiet nature, "trustworthy." From their time together in previous cases, her instincts had told her that he could be trusted to keep a secret. And this was definitely something that she would need him to keep quiet about, more so than usual.

In fact, Guthrie was the one who had examined Sly after the incident on Kaine Island, after his little pow-wow with Dr. M. Carmelita had brought Sly in to be examined, and from the information both Carmelita and Sly had given him; Guthrie diagnosed Sly to have "PTA" or post-traumatic amnesia which is a state of confusion that occurs immediately following head trauma, in which the injured being is disoriented and shows signs of amnesia. The severity of PTA spans from very mild to extremely severe and it would seem that Sly had the latter.

Guthrie had patched Sly up and prescribed something for Sly's "reoccurring headaches." That was over a year ago… now he was tasked to do the same thing, but to another wanted criminal.

Guthrie walked over to side of the bed where A.C was propped up by pillows, laying on top of the sheets, and placed down his bag.

"My, aren't you yummy?" A.C commented. "Are we going to play doctor? If we are, I'd like to go first." A.C said with a flirtatious grin.

Guthrie smiled at the vixen to the amazement of both Carmelita and Winthorp. He flashed his Interpol badge, and wagged a finger at her to signal that: _there'll be none of that._

A.C pouted and simply said "What a waste." Meanwhile the smile never leaving Guthrie's face.

"Are you sure we should be doing this?" Winthorp asked while pacing back and forth wearing away at the carpet.

Guthrie retrieved a stethoscope from his bag.

"We're going to get into trouble! Not just you or me Carm, now that Guthrie is in on it, he's going to get in trouble too!"

Guthrie took out a first aid kid and opened it up. He removed from it: some gauze, antibacterial wipes, an intravenous bag, compress wrappings, and a vial labeled "anesthetic."

"What are you going to do with all of that?" Winthorp asked over Guthrie's shoulder.

Guthrie assembled his materials as neatly as they had been in the medical kit on the bed next to A.C; he then pressed his thumb on what looked like a digital reader, he held it there for two heartbeats. It lit up green. A small compartment that was previously unnoticeable clicked, and jutted out a millimeter. He pulled the small compartment out and retrieved a medical device that would make any weak-hearted soul squeamish.

"Is…is that a needle?" Winthorp swallowed.

Guthrie removed the safety cap off of the tip. He stuck the needle into the rubber seal of the vial, and drew back the plunger until he had a healthy amount of liquid in the needle. He then removed the needle, brought the needle close to his eyes; he tapped at the needle twice to check for air bubbles. Once satisfied there were none, Guthrie pressed upon the plunger forcing out a tiny sample of the liquid from within to ensure its flow, he then set the needle aside.

Winthorp whimpered. His eyes wouldn't leave the needle, and grimaced at his proximity to it. His teeth nosily chattered away while biting at his nails, it took a couple of seconds before he realized that all eyes were now on him. The criminal known as "A.C," Carmelita, and Guthrie, they all had scowls on their faces. It was an awkward moment of silence, as if someone had hit the mute button, but that quickly resolved when all three shouted in unison:

"Out!"

Winthorp yelped and rushed out of the room, leaving, that is if this was a Saturday morning cartoon, a dust cloud in his wake; the sound of the door slamming behind him signaling his complete departure. Carmelita with her face in her hand just shook her head. She only refocused her gaze to the room when she heard Guthrie being his examination.

Guthrie helped A.C sit up straighter in bed. "Can you lift up your shirt? He asked.

"Now doctor, you should know better than to ask that of a lady. At least take me out to dinner first."

He aided her in lifting up her tattered shirt, but stopped just above her stomach when she groaned. He took a hold of her hand and gestured that she hold it in place. She did as she was instructed, and now with the eartips of the stethoscope in his ears, he grasp the tunable diaphragm lightly on the bell side, and placed the diaphragm side on her back.

"Breathe." Guthrie instructed with a thick Parisian accent.

"_Ce n'est pas possible que vous me laisser couper le soufflé"_ – that's not possible, you leave me breathless – she whispered in his ear.

Carmelita watched in silence as the examination went on. Guthrie would continue with his tests and A.C would try to shake him up with an innuendo or some other form of flirtation. She hate to admit it, but she was enjoying the uncomfortable look on the collie, in the time of one simple medical examination, A.C had gotten more words and expressions out of Guthrie than anybody at Interpol ever did, even during his job interview and training. A.C had a way about her that provoked… no, not provoked, more like _enticed_ a response to her words and actions. It was why, Carmelita concluded, that she didn't take the shot when she had it. A.C had played a very dangerous game earlier this evening with her, and it paid off. A.C was in an obviously disadvantage position, but she went all-or-nothing, and she'd won.

Guthrie completed his physical examination and picked up the needle with anesthetic, and was about to use it when A.C grabbed a hold of his hand. Confused, Guthrie looked at her with raised eyebrows.

"No anesthetics."

Dumbfounded, Guthrie mulled it over and eventually shook his head.

"There are shards of glass in your wounds; I'll need to carefully remove them fragment by fragment. Not only that, with your cracked rib it'll be doubly painful. I highly recommend that…"

"No anesthetics." A.C repeated herself.

"Stop being so stubborn, if Sargent Guthrie sees a need to use a form of painkillers, sedatives, or analgesics it's best that you comply. He knows what he's doing and he's deciding what's best for his patients." Carmelita rebuked her from across the room.

"You forget _inspector_ Fox that I'm a criminal and the both of you are agents of International _police_. I think that numbing my senses is one of the last things I'd want to do.

Guthrie was conflicted, he understood where she was coming from; being behind enemy lines injured, unable to move, and at their mercy, only to be patched up by said enemy could put anyone on edge, especially when they then follow up with coming at you with a needle filled with an unknown liquid, and with a deadpan expression tell you: _This will make all your pain go away, just go to sleep... _But he was also a doctor, a being entrusted with care, comfort, and recovery of the patient, and use the best of his knowledge to accomplish that goal no matter if the patient is friend or foe.

It was as if A.C could sense the oncoming storm, the maelstrom stirring from within him. She gently placed her hand atop his, and smiled warmly.

"It's only because I'd like to have 'one's wits about with me,' besides I'm a big girl, and as you can see I can take a little pain and suffering.

Guthrie sighed and finally conceded. He had to obey the patience's request, even if it went against better judgment; he re-informed her of the pros of using anesthetics and the cons of not using it, but she remained adamant on her decision.

He worked tirelessly with care and efficiency. Guthrie couldn't help but glance over at A.C every so often, and although not showing any signs on her face her body however, would automatically wince ever so slightly whenever another shard was being removed. He was impressed, during the hour long procedure; she didn't make a single sound. At the end of it, when he was finished removing the foreign objects from her body, he cleaned out her cuts and scrapes, and bandaged her up with gauze, and overlapping it with the compress wrappings to ensure that her rib was held in place while she recovered.

He cautioned her about excessive movement, showed her breathing exercises to prevent development of pneumonia of the lungs, and explained to her that she will most likely have a high fever within the next couple of days. Explaining that it's a natural sign that her body is recovering, the body raises the internal temperature to ward of any possible infections. He gave her some painkillers, fever reducers, and his card with a fake alias on it, in case of emergency.

A.C thanked the doctor and pulled him in and gave him a peck on the cheek. She slipped her own calling card in his coat pocket when he wasn't looking. Guthrie tried to compose himself by straightening up his collar and clearing his throat. The act would have been convincing if his cheeks didn't have a hue of red to them.

After he had finish repacking all of the unused materials, he bid both A.C and Carmelita a _bonne nuit_ – good night – and walked out of the hotel room, with two beautiful vixens watching him intently as he did so.

**A/N: **I couldn't bring myself to finish this chapter. I had a draft of this chapter in my head for about 2-3 weeks now, and I just kept pushing it off for another day. The reason in doing so is because I am unsure if I want to have a sequel to this story (It's not even half way done yet and I'm already thinking about that). If I decide to have a sequel of _Sly as a Fox_ it'll have a completely different storyline than if it didn't, nothing is set in stone.

In the end I said "Ah the heck with it…" and decided to complete this chapter and get to it when I get to it. It's a lot easier to structure things when you don't think too much. Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter, for I didn't enjoy writing it lol. See you in the next chapter. – Deags.


	12. Chapter 12: Evacuation

**A/N & Disclaimer: **I do not own the rights to any of the characters that are affiliated with _Sucker Punch Productions (2002-05)_, _Nihilistic Software (2011)_, and/or _Sanzaru Games (2012-Present)_. I do however, own their products and highly recommend to those who don't, to please support the creators of the franchise. The portrayal of their characters in this fan fiction is just that, of fiction; they do not in any way reflect the "actual-true fictional storyline" created by the *stated above* developers of the Sly Cooper franchise.

To **NinjaxSketcheartx – **Feel free to put what you find interesting in whatever you'd like. Thank you for telling me. I have had issues with people who quote me before in some form or manner, and it has its tendency of getting back to me. It has one prompted me to go: "Am I being lectured by myself here?"

Although not exactly the example I would use, but yes essentially I've tried to make A.C a very strong female lead, being flirtatious, confident, and aware of her identity of self. Which, I guess you can say, Catwoman also possesses those same qualities, but she's a fox… so "Foxwoman?"

Thank you for your positive take on Guthrie. So he's both Batman and Master Chief? That's… interesting lol. So not only is Guthrie part cryogenically frozen Spartan, "he is vengeance, he is the night, He. Is. Batman!" have to admit, I kind of like it. But to wrap things up, before I write a whole page simply to respond to you, yes I have some ideas for the sequel. Regarding the names and all that, nothing is set in stone, if you have any suggestions; I could possibly dedicate a chapter to your ideas and suggestions, like how I did with Tony Fox, a creation of ForeverFreelancer's if you're interested in that.

I hope you'll continue to keep up with my second Sly Cooper fan fiction: _Heart of Darkness_, and will continue to read and review both stories. Thanks again as always Ninja.

To **cheesebread222 – **Thank you another good review. I thought it was you, and I have the same issues with the review system, but it's not our system so "what can you do?" It's a shame you have such strong animosity towards sexual oriented scenes or cursing, (not that I don't share the same feelings, expletives like all things should be used moderately, and in consideration to those around you) as one single word, for example: the "F word" could aptly summarize what an entire passage is trying to encompass, but I do hope you will give my new story: _Heart of Darkness_ a once over and let me know what you think of it. I enjoy reading any and all reviews, especially from those who have been with me from the beginning.

It's T rating and I've refrained from becoming too graphic with my action and pending sexual scenes, as it'll be rating "M+" and then no one would ever read it, and that's not my intent. So yes, please keep up with it if you can or want to.

To **BananaB0mb – **I like Guthrie as well; he's someone I'd like to mimic in real life. Someone who is intelligent, good looking, and trustworthy; sadly I only possess the last of the three qualities (reality can be cruel at times). A.C is advanced in many ways, including her tactics and advances… which make them doubly advanced, so you can see why Guthrie didn't stand a chance. Anyway, please continue to support me in both stories, and I'll be sure to ping back and forth with you, to help with your story or stories that you want to speak to me with. You know how to reach me if you need me.

To **CASE MCKINLEY – **It's always weird for me to type your name, being in full caps. I'm glad that you liked the dialogue, it, along with my physical descriptions of action sequences are what I primarily focus on, and the occasional fluff. I'm not at liberty to neither confirm nor deny your claims, as it would spoil whatever comes to mind when I decide to come up with a chapter. You know, the whole "need to know basis, and you don't need to know" shtick. That and I haven't really thought any of it through, I do my best work impromptu. For all you know, I could have simply looked around my apartment and went: "It's hot today; I should turn on the A.C… A.C! That'll be her name!" (It wasn't how I came up with her name, but I've done that in my earlier years, I'm not very creative). I hope you continue to read this story, along with my new Sly Cooper Fan fiction: _Heart of Darkness_. Cheers.

With that said and done. Enjoy chapter 12.

**Chapter Twelve:** Evacuation

The sound of blaring alarms resonated throughout the safe house, joined with flashing lights that serve more as a device to blind and deafen, rather than its intended purpose of warning.

"You can cut it now Bentley!" Sly shouted at the top of his voice.

A moment later, the alarms subsided and a tranquil calm replaced it.

"So what do you think?" Bentley inquired.

"I think you need to tune it down a little pal. My ears will be ringing for a week."

"Have to agree with him there Bentley." Chimed in the pink mouse.

"Why, exactly do we need an alarm system Bentley?" Sly asked.

"We'll be stationed here for some time, as this will be the primary location we'll be using to test out the time machine now that it's up and operational."

There was a moment of stunned silence. "You…you mean you have it up and running?" Sly and Murray exchanged smiles filled with child-like delight.

"Well, yes, and n…" Sly with Murray tagging along, ran into the garage while Bentley was in mid-sentence.

A high pitch scream could be heard.

"What did you do‽" Sly sounded horrified.

"What?" Bentley asked, as he was wheeled in by Penelope.

"Don't you guys just love it?" Penelope asked with a smile.

Another high pitch squeal; to Bentley and Penelope's surprise, it originated from Murray. The next thing they knew, Murray's solid mass fell to the floor.

"Murray!" Sly shouted rushing over to his fainted friend. "Get a hold of yourself pal, it's not that bad!" Sly fanned his hand hoping it'll revive him.

"What's gotten into them?" Penelope asked while looking at Bentley, only to receive a shrug as a response.

It took a good ten minutes to finally revive their fallen comrade. When asked if he was okay, all they get in response was: "Big Clock. Big, big clock. Clock, big, on truck," as he rocked back and forth with his arms wrapped around his knees.

"I thought it looked good." Penelope pouted.

Side stepping the delicate subject matter of his two tech savant's personal take on aesthetics, Sly shifted the conversation in favor of quelling the piquing feeling of letting a perfectly good, working, time machine sit there in their garage.

"So what do you say about firing up the van and give it a whirl?"

"That's, not possible Sly," Bentley said

"You see Sly," Penelope continued, doing their lover's tandem speech act. "Do you know what a solar flare is?"

"A solar flare is the sudden brightening over the Sun's surface; it's caused by the acceleration of charged particles, mainly electrons that interact with the ionized plasma medium." Sly answered matter-of-factly.

"Y….yes, that's correct." Bentley looked at him suspiciously. "But do you know what happens during a solar flare?"

"Sometimes the ionic particles from the sun are so intense that they can saturate the electronics here on earth. This is due to the fact that the earth itself, is strongly protected by a magnetic field, hence how life can be sustained on it; meaning that it will interfere with electronic equipment like satellites, television signals, or even our com-links. When there is a great level of solar activity we experience a beautiful display resulting from collision of energetically charged particles with atoms high in the atmosphere, giving us the northern lights, or in laymen's terms the Aurora Borealis." Sly answered, with his trademark smirk plastered on his face.

He was met with quiet stares of awe.

"Okay now you're just showing off." Bentley rebuked.

"H…how? What?" were the only words to escape Penelope's lips.

"What can I say? My dad taught me a few things about electronics back in the day." He twirled his cane when he mentioned his father. "It really stuck with me I guess." He smiled sadly, reminiscent of the past.

Before anyone could console Sly, he quickly turned his somber mood into his usual self.

"So what does this have to do with the time machine?"

"Well," Bentley cleared his throat. "There happens to be one occurring now, and we have no idea how it'll affect our experience with the time jump."

"Come on Bentley, how dangerous could it be?"

His reptilian friend sighed, and pulled out a remote. He pressed the button and all of a sudden, the sound of humming and an almost transparent bubble appeared, surrounding the Cooper van. It shimmered slightly, like it was caught in a heat haze.

"Um, very impressive?" Sly asked with mocking uncertainty.

"You may have noticed a slight flickering after I pushed the button, did you not?" Bentley looked over to Sly who responded with a nod. "That was the entire van oscillating between dimensions."

Sly looked at him. "I'm sorry?"

"As we're talking here," Bentley said, "the van has been prepared to travel through an array of dimensions a second. Unknown amounts of them, and if anyone were to breach the walls, let's say from a mechanical difficulty due to a solar flare, they'd be torn to pieces and scattered through half a dozen realities, and periods of time. That! Is why I wouldn't recommend testing out the time machine."

Sly gulped. "That… that would be a good reason not to."

Bentley pressed the button again, and the sheen of a bubble dissipated.

"And I'm the girl of this outfit." Penelope shook her head. "Well if you ladies will excuse me, if we're done here I'd like to get some sleep. It's been awhile since I've been able to just lie down in a nice, comfy bed. It sure beats the hard concrete floors of the garage." She stretched and headed for the door, but as soon as she reached it, she turned her head back.

"Want to join me, Bentley?" She asked seductively with a wink.

All three males stayed there, wide eyed at her bold inquiry. Both Sly and Murray glanced downwards to their handicapped friend to judge his reaction. All they could register was the sound of tires screeching, as they watched a blurring image of a turtle in a wheelchair scooping up his female companion and out the door, giggling ensued, followed up with a door slamming.

Sly couldn't help but chuckle, shaking his head while doing so. Murray stood there and smiled.

"Guess its best that we call it a night," Sly looked back at the Cooper van. "Sorry about what they did to the van Murray."

"It's not that bad, now that I had time to get used to it. Get it? Time?" Murray nudged Sly, as he told another one of his bad jokes that were so terrible, it was impossible not to laugh.

"Yeah I get it pal."

They both walked up the steps to the upper floor, and entered their rooms.

"Good night Sly!" Murray called out with his usual boisterous voice.

"Night pal." And they both shut the doors behind them.

_Later that evening_

The sudden blaring of alarms caused Sly to immediately jump out of bed. He grabbed his cane, and opened his bedroom door a sliver to peak down the hallway, only to see nothing out of ordinary. The door adjacent to his opened and Murray emerged from the depths of his own room. He jumped out into the hallway in his usual brawler stance and hopped doing one-eighties to make sure nobody was behind him. Sly opened his door wider which caused Murray to react, but relaxed when he saw it was just his Raccoon companion.

"What's going on Sly? What's with all the noise?"

_I wish I knew pal_. Sly thought to himself, and gestured to the pink Hippo that all verbal lines of communication was now closed with the gesture of the pointer finger being placed vertically atop the mouth and nose, in the universal "shush."

The two of them continued down the hall, the corridor consisted of six doors, three on each side. Over the years, the Cooper gang expanded from a small close-knit gang of three, to a syndicate of seven. Although it's usually the main suspects: Sly, Bentley, and Murray that were together, they've gotten into a habit of finding safe houses that can house all seven. Bentley and Penelope had chosen the rooms downstairs on the first floor, due to their proximity to the now deemed "Garage area."

Both Sly and Murray walked quietly, a honed skill being rendered null and void with the alarms going off, but both continued to exercise it. Upon lining up with the following rooms, Sly gestured for Murray to check the rooms on the left hand side, while he checked the right hand side. One by one they opened the doors, peered into the darkness and when certain there was no movement closed the door and repeated the process. Sly finished first and looked back to see Murray about to check the last of the doors on his side when the alarms abruptly stopped its call.

Sly put his back up against the wall, and peaked down the floor below. There wasn't any noise coming from below. Sly tapped his earpiece.

"Bentley," Sly whispered without moving his lips. "Everything okay down there?"

Silence.

"Bentley?"

Silence.

Murray asked from behind him. "What happened to Bentley and Penelope?"

Sly turned his head back. "I don't know. Look, you stay up here and cover me; I'll go down and… Look out!"

Murray managed to turn in time to see the last of his doors swinging open and a hulking mass charged out of it roaring. It hit Murray dead on, lifting the hippo off the ground and propelled him forward. Sly was knocked out of the way colliding with the wall before crumpling to the ground. He heard the crash of the wooden banister, and scrambled to get up. He ran over to the edge and peered down. He saw the hulking mass struggling with Murray, overpowering him from his dominate position.

"Murray! I'll be down in a sec!" He inched closer and prepared to jump down; when he took another glance at the hulking mass and realized that it looked familiar. _Was that…? _

Sly felt something lightly tap the back of his head; he slowly stood up, and raised his hands in the air. He shut his eyes in disbelief and in frustration, exhaled.

"You're not going anywhere, Ringtail."

**A/N: **I know it's been awhile since I last updated this series, but I felt I was on a roll with my second fan fiction. But I decided to pick this one back up again. Although never all that popular, it's still a story I believe readers want to keep reading, so… ta-dah! Chapter 12. I've also written up the next chapter for my second Sly Cooper fan fiction, so be sure to read that also if you get the chance. Let me know what you all thought of it.

I know this chapter is not as well written (I lost the familiarity with the piece, I've gotten used to writing in the same manner for _Heart of Darkness_, be sure to read that if y'all haven't already) as my previous chapters, but I'll get back in the thick of things soon enough. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and you can be certain there will be another 10 chapters at least for this series, so it's not ending anytime soon. See you all in the next chapter! – J.L


	13. Chapter 13: Realization

**A/N & Disclaimer: **I do not own the rights to any of the characters that are affiliated with _Sucker Punch Productions (2002-05)_, _Nihilistic Software (2011)_, and/or _Sanzaru Games (2012-Present)_. I do however, own their products and highly recommend to those who don't, to please support the creators of the franchise. The portrayal of their characters in this fan fiction is just that, of fiction; they do not in any way reflect the "actual-true fictional storyline" created by the *stated above* developers of the Sly Cooper franchise.

**Chapter Thirteen:** Realization

_Cliccck!_ The sound of the metal cuffs locking in place. With his arms pinned behind him, the chains of the metallic cuffs rattled against the back of his chair. To the right of him, was his herculean pink friend, who was thrashing against his own. But with the reinforcement of multiple restrictive devices, his struggles were in vain. And to his left, Penelope looked content, despite the situation.

Sly looked around the room, and had mixed feelings with the company that had barged in unannounced. He recognized the lot. There, by the entrance of the kitchen in which the gang was now held in as an impromptu interrogation room, was Winthorp, who as usual, was a nervous wreck. The large mass that tackled Murray through the wooden banister earlier that evening was none other than lieutenant Gronk, who was now rummaging through the refrigerator for something to eat. Behind him, was a hint of familiar cologne. It was a pleasant smell, on a pleasant looking male. He walked into his field of vision and began repacking his belongings into his medical bag. They both looked at one another.

Sly smiled a warm smile. "Guthrie."

Guthrie nodded in response, and offered a smile of his own. He gently patted Sly on the shoulder, as if to say in his own silent way: _It's good to see you again._

The sounds of effort and exertion erupted once more, the metallic chains rattling and straining against the might of the magenta hippo. It was good to see that Murray hadn't given up the fight even in their current situation. Sly would have normally done the same thing, supporting his pal, but now wasn't the time to resist, it was time to gather information, figure out how they were found and captured… then a-whole-lot of resisting. It was the order of things; one would have to respect it.

"Relax pal," Sly said. "There will be time for that, but for now just relax. I'm sure this is all just a simple misunderstanding."

The grunts subsided. "I don't know Sly… you really think so?"

"Positive. Now relax, you're going to hurt yourself before you even come close to breaking loose. Don't make Guthrie here do more than he has to."

"Sly's right Murray. Don't strain yourself." Penelope chimed in, leaning forward so she could see him.

Murray looked at the both of them with eyes of protest, but he settled down anyway.

The sound of heels on a pair of combat boots found its way into the kitchen-slash-interrogation room, Carmelita Montoya Fox entered the room. All eyes shifted focus to her direction, but none more focused than Sly. A mixture of happiness, shame, and regret unsettled his stomach.

It'd been a few months since the last time they saw one another, but Sly couldn't believe how much she had changed. Her body was skinnier and well-toned; _she must have finally gotten herself into the gym. She was worried over gaining a few pounds from having no one to chase during the year he was working with her at Interpol._ Her pointed ears now fanned upward and her cheeks were now more defined, _another evident characteristic of someone getting in shape._ She no longer wore jeans it would seem, Carmelita had her sleeves of her coat rolled up and wore a skirt that ended at her thighs, _a plus in Sly's book_. Even her trademark boots were now different. Sly missed the old look, but he couldn't find anything to complain about with the new one either.

Carmelita pulled out the chair on the opposite end of the table, and planted herself in it. She closed the folder she was reading and placed it to the side.

There was a brief moment of silence.

"One count of breaking-and-entering into the National Archaeological Museum of Athens, one count of larceny of an irreplaceable artifact, one count of hacking into Intellectual Property, one count of tampering with evidence… and that's just the first page! Have you anything to say for yourselves?"

The Cooper gang looked at one another, clearly unable to come up with a good excuse.

"Uhh… we didn't do it?" offered the Raccoon.

_WHAM!_ The sound of Carmelita slamming her palms on the table, it echoed throughout the hideout. She let out a feral growl. Winthorp yelped in surprise, Murray the powerhouse dynamo started shivering in his seat. Sly winced and quickly looked away; Guthrie cleared his throat and excused himself from the room along with lieutenant Gronk. Penelope just sat there wide-eyed.

"You're going to be put away from a long time ringtail."

It was just a bipolarity of emotions tonight. Sly felt some comfort upon hearing her call him by the pet name she gave him; however it also gave him a nauseated feeling, knowing that she's aware of his faux amnesia. _Everything has been revealed, and he's been caught red-handed._

_Or has he…?_

"Carm, you said…"

"That's Inspector Fox to you." She rebuked, letting him hear the coldness in her voice.

"Inspector Fox…" Sly corrected, "You read off all the counts of criminal acts that my gang and I have committed… but I can safely say that, we've done nothing wrong."

Carmelita leaned back with a look of disbelief. As if saying: _You're kidding… right?_

"I'm confident 'Inspector,' that if we did do, what you think we did. Which, I'm not saying we did. There would be some evidence of our being there, wouldn't you agree?"

Carmelita narrowed her eyes. _Where are you going with this Cooper?_

"You of all foxes, should know how this group operates, am I correct to assume?"

"You could say that."

"Well then, was there any evidence that would coincide a Cooper heist? Not that we would do such a thing."

There was a dissatisfied grunt emanating from the opposite end of the table. Sly smirked that cocky smirk of his when he knows he's gotten away with something.

Bentley and Penelope wouldn't leave a digital signature of them being in the museum's security systems, let alone giving Interpol enough breadcrumbs to lead them back to the gang. He'd been confident that no surveillance equipment had captured him, nor did he actually _steal_ the mechanism. _A.C saw to that…_

Sly also knew that Murray was too far back to be in range of vision and line of sight for the cameras. And best of all… he didn't leave his trademark calling sign at the scene of the crime. There was the slight issue of the grainy security footage of Murray carrying Sly near the entrance of the museum, but that's easily deniable, they could have simply been near the scene of the crime. Both tech savants had already infiltrated the media servers, and did damage control. They've uploaded footage from other camera feeds that put the Cooper van at a location five miles away at the time of the actual crime. Murray being spotted "leaving" the museum was after the crime occurred.

"We were simply interested in the museum for its showcases and educational worth. But by the time we had shown up, it was already closed. Murray simply went to check the doors for the schedule so that we'll know when they would reopen. There's no crime in that is there?"

Carmelita gritted her teeth.

_You went too big Carm. There was no way for all of those charges to be pinned on us. We're not amateurs, but neither are you… what happened to force your hand like this? How did you know where we were, and how'd you find us?_

In a fit of rage, Carmelita stood up knocking her chair over, she swiped the folder off the table, scattering blank pages of paper into the air.

"Lieutenant Gronk! Guthrie! Winthorp! Get in here. Now!"

The three of them entered, and stood at attention.

"Take the other two out, I'll want to interrogate them all individually. Leave Cooper here with me."

There were fights of protest, but both Penelope and Murray were too boggled down with police restraints to put up any real resistance, and they were ushered out of the room.

When they were out of earshot, Carmelita briskly walked over to the other end of the table; she grabbed Sly by the collar and looked into his eyes.

"You think you're so clever don't you, ringtail?"

"I am smarter than the average raccoon, if I must say so myself." Sly smiled.

Carmelita shoved Sly back into his chair, nearly toppling him over.

Carmelita started pacing behind him. "You think you're so funny. You think you're so smart. You think your charm will get you out of this one?"

"Oh, so you noticed my charm did you? Good, I'd hate for it to go to waste." His smile was incorrigible.

Carmelita grabbed him by the collar again. "Everything is a joke to you isn't it? Do you take me for a fool? "Was all of this," she seemingly gestured to the room, but Sly knew she meant the grander scheme of things. "Was all of this, some sort of elaborate plan? Was all of this…" her voiced cracked, "a joke to you?"

Sly stopped smiling.

Carmelita did a quick one-eighty, and walked over to the nearby corner of the room, she was on the verge of tears.

"Carm... that's not… you know I love y…"

She spun back around to face him, and put a hand up.

"Just stop. Okay? Just stop." Carmelita glanced down to the ground, a single tear slowly made its way down her cheek.

Sly for a moment forgot about his shackles, and tried to get up, to attempt to hold the vixen he loved, to console and comfort. But the chains pulled taut. He cursed under his breath, begging for them to somehow unfasten itself from him. But all he could do was watch. He was so close, yet so far.

Before he had a chance to say something Carmelita looked back up at him.

"Just tell me one thing. Just. One. Thing. Was it worth it?"

"Carm… I…"

"Was it worth it!?"

Sly realized why she called for the removal of his two companions. She wanted answers just as much as he did. Maybe more. There was no usual playful banter between the two star-crossed lovers, or was there an interrogation over an illegal act, no more 'cops and robbers', this was about her… and what'd he done to her. He violated her trust, and for that, he can't be easily forgiven.

"Well? Was it?" Carmelita asked again.

Sly could no longer stand looking into her the eyes, but he forced himself to. He could see her pain, her suffering, and her confusion, all of which summed up in one simple question. _Why?_

He wracked his brain for some answer, some key phrase to make it all better, to make everything bad go away. After what felt like an eternity, all that came out of the raccoon's mouth was:

"I'm sorry…"


	14. Chapter 14: Star Struck

**A/N & Disclaimer: **I do not own the rights to any of the characters that are affiliated with _Sucker Punch Productions (2002-05)_, _Nihilistic Software (2011)_, and/or _Sanzaru Games (2012-Present)_. I do however, own their products and highly recommend to those who don't, to please support the creators of the franchise. The portrayal of their characters in this fan fiction is just that, of fiction; they do not in any way reflect the "actual-true fictional storyline" created by the *stated above* developers of the Sly Cooper franchise.

**To timexgone23, NinjaxSketcheartx, cheesebread222, case mckinley, Cooptown, and Theivius Authorius – **Thank you all for leaving a review on my previous chapter, albeit it has been over 2 months since I last posted something on this website, for that, I do apologize. I have been busy with school – graduating in the summer along with applying to the English Ph.D. program in the fall, and finals just around the corner – family emergencies, work, and most recently, my girlfriend and I broke up, we haven't spoken to one another for over a month. So no happy fun times on my end.

So as you can tell, it's been a stressful couple of months and I didn't have time or the focus to sit down and type out the next chapter. But they're mere excuses and I'll try to not use them as a crutch that'll impede my progress with the stories I've come up with. I'm just as interested to see how my stories will play out and how they'll end, so even though there might be a period gap in between releases, I do intend to finish Sly as a Fox.

Please continue to leave reviews and personal messages as you see fit. I'll try to respond to them in a timely manner. Anyway with all that said and done, here is chapter 14 of Sly as a Fox.

**Chapter Fourteen:** Star Struck

"I should turn him in. That's the right thing to do, just hand in that lying-no-good, dirty Raccoon to Interpol, and let the law have its way with him." Carmelita fumed as she paced back and forth. "I should… But I can't!" she growled. _That blasted ringtail was right. _She didn't have any evidence to connect Sly and his gang to the crime, and she couldn't even arrest him for prior charges. Sly was still registered as an agent of Interpol, and having a fellow agent arrested would create uproar, something that she and Barkley typically would want to avoid. Cornered and unsure of what to do, she let out a frustrated guttural yell, and kicked over a chair.

"Uh, is this a bad time?" A voice called from the entryway.

Carmelita glanced over and was surprised to see who it was. "You… what are you doing here?"

"Well that's a fine, 'how-do-you-do.' Is that how you treat those who helped you out?"

"This is out of your pay grade inspector Fox; you're not authorized to—"

"Please, call me Tony. Or else it'll get confusing for the both of us."

"Fine 'Tony,' as I was saying… This is out of your jurisdiction. What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing. It's unusual to find a beautiful vixen like yourself hold up in such a..." he streaked a finger on the door frame, and looked at the dust that attached itself to him before wiping it on his jeans, "cozy place."

Carmelita narrowed her eyes, "You're avoiding the question, as a superior officer, I order you to answer it. If you do not, I will write you up for insubordination. Now, I won't ask you again. Why. Are. You. Here?"

Tony looked as if he had another smart retort but decided against it. "I am under orders to observe you."

"What?" She asked incredulously.

"Yes ma'am, direct orders. I was pulled from my duties as an active field agent, to assist you in any way I can, and to keep an eye on you."

Carmelita couldn't believe what she was hearing, she splayed her hands on top of the table in front of her, and she hung her head, "Under whose orders?"

"Why the big honcho himself of course. Chief Barkley." An irritating smile danced across Tony's lips, "And if I'm not mistaken, I think he outranks you, so I'd think twice about writing up that report if I were you."

Everything around her started to spin, "This can't be happening…" She looked up at him, "Why?"

"You ask 'why', but I'm not sure of it myself. Maybe it's because you've been at this for so long that he felt that you needed a young, ruggedly handsome, intelligent, action-oriented male to get your head back in the game?"

"Not that! Why you? Why is it you that Barkley assigned?" She screamed.

Tony's shoulders sagged and let out a long sigh, "It's because he's worried about you."

"What?"

"It's because he's worried about you." He repeated. "Chief Barkley assigned me to look after you. He felt that you might've been overwhelmed by your emotions while being on this case, and…" Tony walked over to pick up the chair that Carmelita had knocked over, and replaced it to its rightful place, "it would seem his worries were well-founded."

"That still doesn't explain why he chose you. Guthrie, Winthorp… even Lieutenant Gronk would have—"

"Yes, I had inquired about that also. But he told me that because they were close to you, they would choose to deny any of your questionable outbursts in their reports at the end of the mission. So, he instructed me to give an unbiased assessment of your behavior."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning, that if I 'assess' that you are unable to maintain the ability to act as a proper agent of Interpol… I have the authority to remove you from this case."

A long silence passed between them.

"And?" Carmelita asked in a hushed whisper. "What is your assessment of my current abilities as an agent of Interpol?"

"It's hard to say. I mean, it's incredible that you're so level headed being in the same room as a poltergeist. That chair was knocked over on its own." Tony smiled.

Carmelita couldn't help but laugh, "You're ridiculous, you know that?"

"Yeah, but that's why the females love me. That and everything I mentioned before doesn't hurt."

Again, Carmelita laughed. "I was wrong about you."

"Oh? What exactly were you 'wrong' about?"

"I pegged you for an idiot."

Tony chuckled, "and now?"

"Still an idiot, but a lesser one."

"I'll take it," they both laughed. "But you were right about one thing though however."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, about this being above my pay grade; I may have been assigned to watch over you, and have been authorized to relieve you of duty as I see it's necessary… But I haven't been informed to what this case is really about. I've only been briefed about the missing artifact from the museum, but that doesn't explain why I'm here, with you, in this surprisingly well-furnished abandon location. So, mind filling me in on the details?"

Carmelita pondered about it for a moment, "Come with me."

They left the affectionately dubbed "main office" that was the Cooper gang's kitchen and up a flight of stairs. On this floor, Tony noted that there were a number of doors, but only three were guarded by a fellow agent.

"Ooh, I love _The Price is Right_, 'let's see what's behind door number one!'" Tony exclaimed.

Carmelita glared back at him, "Stop talking."

Which prompted an immediate, "Yes ma'am," and "sorry ma'am."

They stopped in front of the last door, Guthrie's door. Tony couldn't help but admire him. The collie sat there stone-faced, solid, and unmoving. His features like that of a Greek hero, perfect in every way. Hell, even he was starting to fall for him.

"Sargent Guthrie! Good to see you. Please, don't stand up. My ego couldn't take it."

The collie raised an eyebrow, and looked over to Carmelita for an explanation.

"Inspector Tony Fox has been temporarily promoted to assist us on this case. Open the door.

Guthrie did not move.

Carmelita's face softened, "It's okay Guthrie, I'm fine now. Please, let us in."

Guthrie hesitated, but in the end nodded, stood up, and unlocked the door.

"Thank you."

Two sets of footsteps entered the room, only one continued to walk after they passed the threshold. Tony looked around and was confused to see that the guarded room was in fact, a bedroom. There was someone in the middle of the room, his arms and hands behind his back, handcuffed to his seat, facing away from the door. A table in front of him, out of place from the décor, must have been brought in for interrogation purposes. Even with his back facing towards them, it was easy to tell who it was. Carmelita continued walking to the prisoner, while Tony stood at the entrance with his mouth open like a fish gasping for air.

"Is…is that…?"

Both Carmelita and the prisoner turned their heads to look at him.

Tony raced over to them, "Is that…?" He looked over to Carmelita, "Is he...?" He looked over to the prisoner, "Are you…?"

"He sure has a way with words doesn't he Carm?" the prisoner said and gave him one of his trademark smirks.

"Inspector Tony Fox, you are not allowed to divulge anything that you learn here tonight. Is that clear?"

"You…you're…" Tony was too far gone to listen.

"Heya… Tony? Was it? How do you do? The name is Sly, Sly Cooper. Nice to meet you."

Tony's face lit up. He ran behind Sly and immediately began to shake his shackled hands. "I'm a huge fan of yours Sly, do you mind if I call you Sly? You're the reason why I joined Interpol. The capers that you and your gang pull off… they're just too amazing to put into words. I've read some of the case files on you, and I must say, to be able to catch someone of your caliber is my life's goal at Interpol."

Sly gave Carmelita a quizzical look. "Always glad to meet a fan?"

Before Tony had a chance to find a pen and paper for Sly's autograph, Carmelita spoke up. "Inspector Fox, I want to make it especially clear that everything that you learn of tonight shall not leave this room, do I make myself clear? That includes the existence of Sly here."

"That's sweet Carm, trying to keep me all to you."

Carmelita growled, "Now's not the time ringtail."

"'Carm?', 'Sly?', 'ringtail'? Do you two know each other or something?"

The two of them shared a look, "No." They responded in unison.

"Wait… Are the two of you—?"

"That's enough inspector Fox, we have business at hand to deal with here." Carmelita strolled over to grab a file from the nightstand.

"Way to go," whispered Sly, "You stepped on a land mine there; we're still hashing out the details about that."

"But why is he here? Last I heard he was one of us." Tony pushed on.

Carmelita growled as she browsed through the manila folder.

"Psst." Sly cued to Tony. "That's land mine number two. I suggest you don't make it to number three."

"If you must know inspector Fox, Sl…Cooper is charged with the theft of the artifact in question. So I suggest you don't get too friendly with him. He'll be put away for a long time."

"Carm, we've been over this. You don't have anything on me. So why don't you just let us go?"

Tony ears pricked up, "'Us?' You mean… the rest of the Cooper gang… is here?"

"Yep, Murray is being guarded by Gronk, and Penelope is—"

Before Sly finished his sentence, Tony raced out of the room. There were grunts of protest but the echo of doors being opened was distinct in the abandoned safe house.

Sly chuckled, and shook his head. He returned his focus to Carmelita who had given up all hope on the rookie. "Interesting guy."

"You don't know the half of it..." Carmelita sighed.

Sly and Carmelita shared an awkward silence, the mood was heavy and the tension was thick enough to cut with a knife. It was Sly who was the first to speak. In a somber yet serious tone he asked, "So, is he… is he my replacement?"

Carmelita stared at him for a moment longer, taking her time to respond, "No. Inspector Fox has just been temporarily promoted to assist me on this case. Although he's been more of a headache to me than a helping hand, I'm a little understaffed at the moment and will take whatever I can."

"That's not what I meant. I meant—"

"I know what you _meant _ringtail." Carmelita kept her eyes on the pages in front of her, "And no. He's not."

Turmoil stirred within Sly, for one was happy that Tony wasn't her new suitor, but on the other hand, Sly was upset that he himself wasn't. If only the master plan wasn't ruined by unwelcomed variables, everything would have worked out. They would have had the device, hopped back in time for a little while, and when the gang had their fill of fun and adventure, they'd time travel back to present time, and it would have been as if they've never left. But now, everything that could have gone wrong did, and anything that could go wrong, probably will. Sly tested the sturdiness of his handcuffs, and sighed. _If only everything went according to plan, then Carmelita would have never found out. And now, look at this situation, Carmelita sitting in front of me and… wait..._

"Carmelita. How did you find me? How did you locate the gang's hideout?"

Carmelita finally separated herself from her reports. "What does it matter how I found you?"

"Well as a master thief, err… _ex_-master thief, from a long line of master thieves, it's been bothering me."

Carmelita thought it over, deciding whether or not to tell Sly how exactly she had managed to do it. It was one of the rare times that she had the upper hand in the dynamic between the two of them. "I had insider information." She announced cryptically.

"That's it? You had 'insider information.' That's all you're going to tell me?"

A smile appeared on her face, "Yep. Annoying isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is I have to admit. Being the one with all the questions is frustrating. I can see now why you're always pointing that blaster at me."

"And, _I_ have to admit that being the one with all the answers is invigorating. I can see why you always have that cocky smile on your face."

The both of them cracked a smile, and broke into light-hearted laughter.

"Sorry to ruin the mood," A siren-like voice called from the doorway. Carmelita and Sly didn't even hear the door open. "But I'm afraid I have to interrupt."

Sly's fur stood on end. He knew that voice; it's the same voice that haunted him in his nightmares. Carmelita sensed the sudden shift in Sly's character, but before she could ask, Sly thrashed at his harnesses and turned his head to face the voice.

"Verda…" Sly hissed.

"Hey Sly, it's been awhile. Oh, by the way, you can drop the whole 'Verda' thing now. You can call me by my handle, 'A.C'"

"So, the two of you know each other." Carmelita said, more of a confirmation than a question. "Good, it saves us time on the lengthy introductions."

"Carmelita! What is she doing here?" Then it suddenly hit him, "_She's_ your inside source?"

"A.C here," Carmelita said, ignoring his question. "Has agreed to aide us in your capture in exchange of a full pardon on her crimes," Carmelita glared at A.C. "As long as she returns the object in question."

A.C smiled, "It's already heading back to where it belongs, sent it via snail mail though, so it should arrive back at the Louvre in six to eight weeks."

"Carmelita, what have you done?" Sly's voice became stern. "To partner up with someone like her is beneath you. And all this for what? To find me? You could have just—"

"Just what? Hmm? You suddenly go missing. Disappear from my life, not knowing where you were or what you were doing," Carmelita stared daggers into A.C. "or with whom." She paced over to the both of them. "What was I supposed to do? Shoot a giant spotlight in the shape of a raccoon into the night sky? Like some sort of…of… Rat signal? Don't be ludicrous. This isn't some comic book or cartoon, this is real life."

"Nevertheless, to work together with someone as dangerous as her is... just sheer madness!"

"Coming from you, I'll take that as a compliment Sly." A.C sneered. She turned her attention to Carmelita, "So then, we're all settled then? I return the stolen Mona Lisa; I give you the exact location of the Cooper gang's hideout, and present you the entire gang. Is this the part where you let me off?"

Carmelita growled. "I hate to admit it, but you upheld your part of the bargain. So I'll uphold mine."

"Great," A.C smirked. "Then I'll be on my way. Oh, by the way, did you retrieve the Antikythera mechanism from them? I'd hate to see you go through all this trouble and not have that in your possession."

"What? You're the one that-"

"No, in fact we did not." Carmelita interrupted.

A.C stopped grinning. "What do you mean you didn't…?" The shock from sudden realization, "Then where is it?"

The door swung open. A star-struck Tony waltzes in. "That was A-Maze-Zing! I never thought that in my life time, I would get to meet a member of the Cooper gang, let alone three in one night! And do you know what the best part of it all is? I met two of the original trio! This has got to be the most exciting moment in my life."

"Who is this numbskull? Wait…" A.C turned to Carmelita, "What does he mean two of the original trio? Who are we missing?"

"The tech savant, and highest class wizard, my good o' pal Bentley." Sly interjected.

"No, no, no, no!" A.C shouted. "You said that you didn't have the mechanism…Darn it, Bentley must have it."

"Don't worry, we have the rest of our agents scouring the area, he couldn't have gone far. Especially when Sly and the rest of his cohorts are being detained here."

"Detained for no reason if I may remind you, you don't have a case against us." Sly chimed in.

"Those who are innocent wouldn't have any reason to run or hide." Carmelita snapped back. "Bentley's action is evidence enough of your group's guilt-ridden consciences. I just have to find him and see what you're guilty for."

A.C grabbed Sly by the collar and lifted him up from his seat, she was surprisingly strong. "Where is he? Tell me where he is now!"

"That's enough!" Carmelita shouted and moved in to separate the two of them. "We've already settled this matter, this no longer involves you. You're free to go."

A.C growled but still hasn't relinquished her grip.

"Do you know why she's so interested in the recovery of the artifact Carm?" Sly asked through ragged breaths. "It's because she was the one who stole it."

Carmelita looked from one to the other, finally settling on A.C. "Is what he's saying true?"

A.C remained quiet. She had to think of a way to get the mechanism back. There were a blur of movements. Carmelita reached and drew her shock pistol from her holster, and aimed it at A.C. A.C on the other hand managed to maneuver just as quickly, and crouched behind Sly. Fully intending on using him as a shield.

"Put your hands up." Carmelita ordered.

A.C brought out her thousand watt smile. "Now Inspector Fox, I thought we had a deal. I give you what you want, and you let me off Scott free."

"The terms have changed. You didn't tell me _you_ were the one that stole the artifact."

"Well, a girl has to have her secrets."

"Put your hands up, we can do this the easy way, or the hard way." The shock pistol began to hum.

"How about we do this my way?" A.C reached behind her and pulled out what appeared to be a short baton. With a quick press of a button it quickly deployed to its maximum length and she angled the crook underneath Sly's neck.

"Um, do I get a say in anything of this?" Sly asked, trying to make light of the situation.

"You stay out of this." Both of them shouted.

Tony could only watch wide-eyed, unsure of what to do. He slowly reached for his pistol.

"Don't move! Or your idol loses ten pounds off the top of his shoulders."

"Maybe more. I do have an inflated ego." Sly joked despite his current situation.

A.C pulled Sly's head back, his neck taut, and her crook pressed up against it. "Tell me where he is Sly. Tell me where Bentley is and maybe we can all make it out of here unscathed."

Sly tried to struggled, but being restrained by chains, resulted in all of his resistance being futile.

"Last chance Sly; I'm giving you to the count of three. One… Two…Thr—"

"I'm right here." A nasally voice originated from behind her.

Everyone in the room spun to see a green turtle materialize out of nowhere.

"Close your eyes Sly!" Bentley shouted, just before the entire room filled with white.

**A/N: **And there you have it. Sly Cooper: Sly as a Fox chapter fourteen. The series hasn't died out to those who believed it did. I've been busy (read intro "Author's notes") and will be for the next three weeks. With finals coming up – projects, exams, and papers – there most likely will be another delay before another release. I plan on having at least eight more chapters before I conclude this fan fiction, so don't fret. There's still more SC: Saaf to come.

Anyway I hope you all enjoyed this latest installment, and I hope you all look forward to my future updates to this story, and to my other Sly Cooper fan fiction – Sly Cooper: Heart of Darkness. As usual, please leave any comments and reviews for me in the "review" tab, and feel free to PM me with anything. It doesn't have to be about fan fiction, we can just sit back and enjoy a cup of tea and chat. Until next time, I'll see you all… in the next chapter.


	15. Chapter 15: Dimensional Paradox

**A/N & Disclaimer: **I do not own the rights to any of the characters that are affiliated with _Sucker Punch Productions (2002-05)_, _Nihilistic Software (2011)_, and/or _Sanzaru Games (2012-Present)_. I do however, own their products and highly recommend to those who don't, to please support the creators of the franchise. The portrayal of their characters in this fan fiction is just that, of fiction; they do not in any way reflect the "actual-true fictional storyline" created by the *stated above* developers of the Sly Cooper franchise.

To** NinjaxSketcheartx – **I appreciate the moral support in the difficult period that I'm having at the moment. I also found it odd that you claim that my writing hasn't changed, when it in fact has, and for the worse. I've been writing English essays – personal essays, memoirs, fictional pieces, bibliographies, thesis papers, and projects – and it has affected my ability to write. Having to write so many academic pieces, it hinders my ability to think creatively. But, nevertheless I'm glad you enjoy my writing.

I figured I'll give Tony another run at the story. Originally he was supposed to make only the cameo appearance as a nod to ForeverFreelancer but I thought, "Why the hell not?" But although it seems like this chapter as well as Tony had a number of approved reviews, he's not my original character so I have limited use over him. A.C is also another character which received a lot of praise, which is good because everyone loves a good bad guy. Again I can't let on too much about A.C as she's supposed to be mysterious up to the point where I reveal her identity, so fee l free to assume anything and everything.

In conclusion, I'm glad you enjoyed Bentley's appearance as I made it specifically clear that there were only three of the four who were "home" at the hideout who were detained and subject to interrogation. Either way, glad to get a review from you as always, and I hope you continue to read my stories.

To **timexgone23: **Thank you for your review, I'm glad that you enjoyed it, and especially your fondness for A.C. To be honest she's my favorite and I've taken an interest in creating a unique role for her in my story. As stated, everyone loves a good villain, and I'm glad you find her, "fantastic." Also I'm glad that I was able to provoke an element of fun and jovial laughter, as to get an emotional reaction from a reader is what a good author must do. Finally, I thank you for your support in a time of turbulence, and it's good to be back.

To **Cheesebread222:** Glad to see another review. Finals can indeed to be a hassle; the week of the 12th will be my final week of school along with the final projects and final papers that are due. Then on the week of the 20th will be my finals week starting off with a French final, then two English finals, and an interview with the Master Degree department for my application… Needless to say, it'll be a hectic two weeks. I'm glad you find my stories worthy of wait, because there will be again, another hiatus period most likely to complete said tasks mentioned above. Also, I'm glad you found Tony Fox so entertaining, as he was a lot of fun to write for that previous chapter. I'm sure we all know someone who on a regular basis is the "cool type" but when meeting someone they admire, they lose it and go all-out fan mode. I just based Tony on them. Anyway, thank you again for the review and hope you continue to read my stories.

To **Case McKinley:** First off, I thank you for your feelings of worry over my current situation. It's just something that people have to deal with from time to time, and it's just something that life throws and piles on top of you that we all must eventually go through. I'm glad that your favorite character manages to save the day, as he is for a lot of people, specifically for those who review my work, love Bentley the most. To which I found interesting. But either way, I thank you for your review, and you're welcome for chapter 14… Now here is chapter 15.

To **Theivius Authorius: **I'm glad that you found this "refreshing," as it was actually refreshing to write after months of academic college essays. Well as this was my first submission onto this website, and the fact that over the years I've attempted writing novels, and never successfully completing them that I want to actually complete a work that I've done (I tend to think what I write is trash and eventually and inevitably completely delete the story completely). In fact, when I first published this story on this website and it received little to no reviews, I was convinced that I should just give up and delete this story. But no, in summary, I plan on completing this story, so it won't be put to bed anytime soon. Anyway, thank you for your review and hope you continue to read and review this story and my other Sly Cooper fan fiction.

Alright, with all that said and done, here is Chapter 15 of _Sly as a Fox_. Enjoy.

**Chapter Fifteen:** Dimensional Paradox

"Close your eyes Sly!" Was the last thing Sly heard before the room filled with white and his hearing was menaced by a high-pitched whine. He could just make out the screams and cry of anguish from the other party members that were in the room with him. But the most predominate sensation he noticed was that his hands were now free. Someone had unlocked his restraints so he could escape. Only issue was, his senses were now impaired. He couldn't see, hear, or get his bearings together from whatever – he assumed it was a flash bang – had disoriented him.

He attempted to stand, but his legs gave out. He attempted again, this time he used the chair as support. He shoved away from it, forcing himself to stand. The chair made a muffled _thud_ when it clattered to the floor. Sly walked aimlessly in the direction he believed led to the door, his arms in front of him, blindly grasping at the air for some sort of guidance. Mainly they were in front of him to brace him in case he fell. And fall he did. Sly tripped over his chair, and let out an involuntary _oof_ as the air forced its way out of his lungs. He cursed under his breath, pushed himself up, and got on a knee.

Sly tried to open his eyes again. He could have sworn that he could feel the photoreceptors in his eyes, one million by one million at a time, as his rods and cones start to re-function in the manner they were supposed to. He could see blurred images, shadows moving in front of a white background. His sense of sound was returning as he began to make out words being said from other parts of the room. _This is bad._ He thought to himself. If his senses were beginning to return, so would everyone else's. He tried standing again, but failed at the attempt. Arms wrapped around his and he struggled to break the hold, but stopped when he heard a familiar voice.

"Sly, it's me! Let's get you out of here!" Said the comforting nasally-voice.

Sly had to grin, "What took you so long?"

"Sorry, had to calculate for the Pauli Principle and all that… Either way we have to free Murray and Penelope."

The door of the room burst open. Lieutenant Gronk and Sargent Guthrie came in with their weapons at the ready. Bentley's two robotic arms rocketed baseball-sized orbs at them. Guthrie managed to react and ducked in the nick of time. Gronk on the other hand, wasn't as nimble. Both orbs found their way dead-center, and struck his chest. The orbs exploded on impact and a blue gaseous cloud surrounded him. There was a moment of coughing and arms flailing in a futile effort to bat away the smoke screen. The gargantuan body's sporadic movement soon slowed, and a moment later he crashed to the floor.

Guthrie aimed his weapon at Bentley, who was trying to ready a second salvo, and attempted to open fire. The green terrapin was in his crosshairs, but just as he was about to take the shot, an idiot stumbled into his line of sight. Tony Fox, the rookie, had just meandered in and ruined his opportunity, all the while screaming, "I can't see! I can't see!" Guthrie holstered his weapon – he couldn't risk casualties – and rushed Bentley. He grappled with Bentley's mechanical arms and used the momentum from his rush to push the turtle back.

The servos in the arms were meant to aide and assist Bentley in menial chores, not to wage wrestling wars with Interpol agents. They _whirr _ed and groaned as it struggled to gain the upper hand against the Border collie. Just when Bentley thought he had the upper hand, he fell to Guthrie's feint. Guthrie relaxed his body, and when the mechanical arm pushed forward he used the sudden change in the center of gravity to pull back, and down. The arms pinned in an odd angle exposed Bentley, and the wizard was magically introduced to a backhand across the face. Bentley was knocked out his wheelchair; his glasses flew off their usual perch, and skidded across the floor.

"Désolé." – Sorry – Guthrie said, as he walked towards the incapacitated foe. He extended his hand out to help him up, but was caught off guard when someone crashed into him. Guthrie was tackled to the ground, and felt someone mount him. By instinct, he brought his arms up to guard against the impending blows he was about to receive. Sly unleashed a torrent of punches to his opponent's head and torso. He even threw in the occasional elbow for good measure.

All Guthrie could do was be patient. He waited out the Gatling gun of punches. He waited until Sly's arms tired and the torrent became more like a spray before he acted. He threw a quick jab that caught Sly square in the jaw. Sly reeled and fell backwards onto his back. He was seeing stars. He lifted his head to see Guthrie starting to stand; the perfection of the collie's face was now blemished with bruises, and a streak of blood that trickled down the edge of his mouth. Guthrie stood at full attention. He rotated his neck resulting in two _cracks_ on either side. He spat out a mouthful of blood and stood in the traditional boxer stance, taunting Sly to get back up, and to have a go.

Guthrie waited until Sly was standing and ready before he attacked. He stepped in and threw a quick left jab to Sly's nose, followed up with a right hook that looked as if it could have taken Sly's head clean off his shoulders if it had connected. Sly managed to dodge both by the skin of his teeth; he ducked underneath the right hook, stepped in, and landed a couple of blows to the body. Guthrie stepped back and was hard pressed to keep up with Sly's advances. Sly came in low again, Guthrie crossed his arms and push downwards getting ready to block a strike, but Sly instead grabbed hold and pushed downwards, exactly what Guthrie did to Bentley earlier.

Guthrie stumbled forward; his center of balance was destroyed, getting a knee to the jaw as a result. Guthrie fell back trying to create some distance between them. He ducked under a punch and slammed an elbow into Sly's Side. He felt the framework under the raccoon's clothes flex inwards, it was a solid hit. Sly staggered away, and it was now Guthrie's turn to press forward. He closed the distance, throwing three lightning fast jabs – only one of which connected – followed up with an uppercut which sent Sly flying back a few feet. Sly's body rag dolled as it bounced and rolled, finally coming to a complete stop. Guthrie nodded in acknowledgement of a "job well-done," and unlocked a pair of handcuffs from his belt.

The ground shook as a massive object made its way towards them. Guthrie turned and his body tensed. He had expected it to be his Lieutenant, but instead it was a ton of pink hippo charging at him. He braced for impact before he was launched speedily towards the opposite wall which he crashed into, and crumbled to the ground unconscious. Murray let out a victorious roar, before immediately rushing over to help Bentley back into his wheelchair and helping Sly get back on his feet. He handed Sly his bag and cane.

"Murray? How did you get out?" asked the turtle.

"You didn't really think that something as low-tech as standard issue handcuffs would be able to hold me down did you?" Chimed in the second pink member of the group.

"Penelope!" Bentley rushed over and used all four arms to hug her.

"Hey Bentley, took you longer than you expected to calculate for the Pauli Principle, huh?"

"Isn't she the best? She knows me so well."

"Yeah, that's great pal," Sly said, wincing at the pain in his side. "Now, how about we all get out of here before—"

"Freeze Cooper!"

"Everyone else gets their senses back…" Sly finished, and turned to face the angriest of officers. "Hey Carm, I hope you're not nauseated, the ringing from the effects of the flash bangs tend to do that for some people."

"I'll show you ringing! When I get my hands on you, I'll ring your neck!" She hopped over the table and ran towards the gang.

"Guess that's our cue to go." Sly reached into his bag and pulled out three small black balls, he raised his arm in the air and threw them to the ground. A cloud of black smoke filled the room, and the Cooper gang raced out of the room leaving their coughing enemies in their wake. They all ran down the stairs and hopped into the Cooper van, just as Carmelita shouted from the top of the stairs, "Cooper!" And with that, like a bat out of hell, drove out of the hideout, all the while strategically dodging blaster shots. As soon as the hideout was out of sight from the rearview mirror, adrenaline gave way to giddiness as the Cooper gang burst out laughing.

"That. Was. Amazing." Sly said, as he wrapped an arm around each member.

"Definitely one for the record books, that's for sure." Bentley added.

"I wasn't sure if we'd get out of that one," Penelope chimed in from the front seat. "That was definitely one of the more dangerous scenarios we've ever come across."

"With 'The Murray' on your side, we'll never fail. No matter what obstacle stands before us." The magenta hippo concluded from the driver seat.

After another round of laughter, Sly looked to each of his gang and became serious.

"So… Would anyone like to fill me in?" Sly asked.

"What do you mean?" Bentley inquired.

"About what just happened there, about how you appeared out of thin air?"

Bentley pondered about it for a minute. "Well, do you remember what I told you about how the Cooper van is able to cross dimensional planes?"

"How it shunts itself from physical and chronotron states by vibrating at various frequencies that connects to other dimensions, and pockets of time." Sly answered.

All eyes shifted to him, Murray watched in awe via rearview mirror.

"What? I listen… Not that I understand every word of it, but I listen." Sly pouted.

"Well… Basically, I was able to 'shunt' myself into a different time frame by taking myself out of sync with our present time by a second." Bentley explained.

"Wait? You were out of phase by a second? That would cause you to become invisible?"

"Well, not invisible. I was in my own space and time… By being out of sync we were not able to perceive one another through our regular understanding of perception of the five senses. It's difficult to explain, in fact, I wasn't even sure if it was possible."

"How did you manage to do it? You weren't exactly in the Cooper van when you re-synced with our time."

Bentley flashed him a big smile, and pointed at his belt.

Sly looked to Murray for help to decipher his meaning, but all he got in return was a shrug that said, "Your guess is as good as mine."

"Before I perfected the device that would allow the Cooper van to travel through time, I had to test out my hypothesis. And apparently this baby was my first success in time travel."

"Apparently?"

"Well… You see, I had run into the same issue I had with the Cooper van. I needed something like the Antikythera to plot out the exact moment in time or else, you know…."

"So what you're saying is—"

"That was my first field test, yes."

"That's crazy Bentley! What would have happened if anything had gone wrong?"

"But it didn't."

"But it very well could have!" Sly Shouted. "Back me up here Penelope. Tell him that was something that he shouldn't have attempted."

Penelope sighed and shook her head. "I agreed with his actions Sly…"

"You see! Even Penelope agre… You what?"

"We're scientists. And it's in our blood to crave results from our hypotheses, and Bentley first-hand proved his theory. Do you know how satisfying that sensation is? To prove the outrageous, insane, even sometimes asinine thing that you proposed that defies all logic, to be a new founded fact… It's incredible. Look, there are always risks Sly… We won't get anywhere if we're always playing it safe." Penelope responded exasperated.

Sly was silent. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. All the dangers and warnings the two of them spouted last night, and here they were being hypocritical, and breaking their own rules. It was insane was what it is.

"Look Sly, you don't have to worry. We're all safe and sound; the experiment went without a hitch. It solidifies my theories of time travel, and soon we can have a full run at it with the van." Bentley reasoned.

After another moment of silence, sly nodded his head. "Well it's good to have you back pal. It wouldn't have been the same without you."

"It's great to _be_ back. But I'll be honest with you; I almost didn't make it back."

"What do you mean? If you were able to un-sync yourself, wouldn't you just have to simply reverse the situation to re-sync yourself?" Murray asked from the front.

"Well in a matter of speaking, that _is_ all I have to do. But time travel is a very delicate procedure. In order for me to specifically sync up with any time line, I'd have to take countless mathematical equations in order to just realign one second."

"So then, how _did_ you come back?" Penelope asked with interest.

"That's the unbelievable part," Bentley spoke while stroking his chin. "I was able to lock on to a signal that emitted a similar one to my own. There were particles that were also out of sync like me, and by locking on to that signal I just inputted the necessary formulae and re-synced myself in Sly's room."

"But time is intangible… What do you mean you were able to lock on?" Penelope probed further.

"I don't know… It's a mystery. I was just able to… And well, here I am."

Before anyone could ask Bentley to elaborate, a light _thump_ could be heard from the roof of the van. All eyes looked up just as metal was sheared off, and a glint of gold entered the van. Just as quickly as it had penetrated the interior, it retreated. An eye could be seen peeking in. Followed up by more sheared metal. The pink hippo screamed and uttered a mantra of prayer, "Not the van, not the van, not the van!" A face could be seen now, the crazed look on the villain's face as it peered into the van, down on the cooper gang.

"Here's Johnny!" A.C menaced. Her crook crackled with electricity.

"Don't touch anything!" Sly shouted, knowing how futile that suggestion may be.

Electricity conducted throughout the entire metallic shell of the van, miniature explosions occurred from within, as all the monitors and mainframes surged and overloaded. The van began to swerve uncontrollably, but soon leveled out as Murray powered through.

"Well that was a bit anti-climactic," A.C muttered to herself. "Murray is an amazing driver, I'll give him that." She then dipped into her pocket and retrieved a few familiar objects, and dropped them into the opening. Blue smoke spontaneously filled the van, escaping only through the opening in the roof as if it were a chimney. Coughs emanated from within. Glass was smashed as an enormous pink head poked out of the driver side window, trying desperately to see what's in front of him. The backdoors flew open and smoke continued to billow out of every opening. A figure leaped up from out of the smoke, leaving a trail behind him. He landed on top of the roof cane at the ready.

"Murray! What's the situation?" Sly shouted.

"The gas is mostly gone, smart move opening the back. But I can't stop the van; the braking mechanism must have short-circuited from the electricity!"

"Can Bentley or Penelope fix it?"

"They're both down for the count, I think the gas was a knock out variety, like the one Bentley uses."

"Great…" Sly muttered. "See what you can do about slowing down or stopping the van Murray." He then returned his focus on the task at hand.

"Salutations, monsieur Cooper!" A.C yelled over the gusting winds.

"Fancy meeting you here, I had thought for sure we'd ditch you and the rest of the naysayers back at the hideout."

"The heart wants what the heart wants. You can't blame a girl for pursuing what she desires."

Sly was crouched low, making him more aerodynamic, but noted that A.C wasn't slightly perturbed by sixty-miles an hour winds. He raised an eyebrow to her, and she gestured to her footwear.

"Intelligent polaric soles," she pointed out. "They adhere to any metallic surface."

"So, magnets in your boots?"

A.C frowned. "No… It uses the principles of polarity to adhere to surfaces that are in opposition to one another."

"So… Magnets then?"

"Yeah, basically," A.C conceded. "But not just any old magnets, these are _smart_ magnets. Hence the 'intelligent' part."

"I give up, what makes them so 'intelligent'?"

A.C shot him a smirk. She slid on the roof at great speeds and caught sly in the chest with a sixty-mile an hour assisted kick. He was launched off the roof and fell behind the van. A.C walked purposely to the edge and looked down. Sly desperately grasped onto the right rear door. She crouched down, and as if this was as good a time as any, explained more about her shoes.

"They're considered 'smart' because it's programed to think and judge on its own. You see, with regular old magnets, it'd be clunky to say the least, having to awkwardly provide enough force to pry myself off a metallic surface. But with these, you see? These mimic the way I walk. They know when I want to move, and when I want to be rooted like some plant. Although I'll admit, it does take a bit of getting used to, I can't tell you how many times I thought I got the hang of it, walking upside down one second, and the next, suddenly hurtling towards the ground head first.

"That's fascinating," Sly grunted as he tried to readjust his grip. "You wouldn't happen to have another pair on you, would you?"

A.C smiled, _glad to see his sense of humor not dulled by his predicament._ "Nope, sorry. Only got the one pair, unlike a lady to have just the one I know, but these were specifically made for me."

"Well, then. That's a shame," Sly's grip was slipping. "I could really use a pair right about now."

"Here let me help you." A.C stood up and raised her weapon. She swung down hard and sheared half of the door off.

"That's not exactly helping."

"Well it sure is helping _me_." And she raised her arm again.

When she swung down the second time, Sly let go of the door and linked their two weapons together. The door flew off and the sound of crunching metal as it scraped and bounced on the street. A.C growled as she twisted her weapon, trying to detach his from hers. Sly started climbing up his cane, A.C swung backwards, propelling Sly back onto the roof. _Not what she had in mind, but at least they were now detached._

"Now then," He said, as if everything that just had happened was a common day occurrence. "Where were we?"

A.C just had to smile. "You're really something you know that? One qualified to be myth and legend like your ancestors before you."

"You're not so bad yourself, a little sadistic and vindictive, but you can give even old Clockwerk a good run for his money, as the Cooper's 'most dangerous' foe."

A.C laughed. "I like the sound of that. And I'll want to hang your cane over my mantel piece as a trophy when I win that title."

Sly gave her his trademark smirk. "May I have this dance?" Sly said as he twirled his cane.

A.C gave him her trademark smile. "Come and have a go, if you think you're hard enough."

**A/N: **There we go. Chapter fifteen. There really isn't much left to say but, "Hope you enjoyed it. And I look forward to your reviews." Oh and be sure to let me know what you think, whether it's to complement or nitpick about something, any positive or negative reviews will be fine, don't worry about what I think, as long as you get your feelings across. I am not writing this only for myself, but for you as my online readers to enjoy, and if you find something wrong with it, be sure to let me know.

Oh! There was one other thing however. I was planning on making an audio version of this story and possibly post it on YouTube for personal kicks and giggles (under a private setting of course, public if it turns out to be good), and if you have a notable voice or think that's a good idea, let me know.

I'd like to start recording and see if I can't make it an audio series. You never know, it might turn out amazing, or turn out as a project that should never see the light of day… either way, let me know if anyone is interested. I'll be sure to try and create the ideal voice for each cast member. It would be perfect if I could somehow get Kevin Miller, Chris Murphy, and Matt Olsen to reprise their roles, and just have the ideal voices for the female characters… because you know… they're never the same anyway, so why do it any differently (there's a good chance I won't be doing this with the limited amount of people that actually read my fan fiction, but again as I said, kicks and giggles).

Uh… that is all I can think of at the moment so I'll conclude this Author's Notes.

I'll see _you_ in the next chapter. Bye-bye!


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